Love, Laughter & Happily Ever After
by ezillyamused
Summary: Rick and Michonne have found love despite devastating losses and are ready to take the big leap into happily ever after. AU Richonne. Absolutely no zombies. Lots of love, laughter and the resurrection of characters that are no longer with us on the show. Just a fun look into Richonne nuptials! My submission to the Richonnefics June Bride writing challenge on tumblr.
1. What Do You Propose?

**_Michonne_**

Sultry rhythms of the bossa nova persuasion surrounded Michonne as she entered the studio, her step perking up as she strolled towards the front desk, her hips swaying in sync with the music. The place was larger than she expected but was still just as quaint and imaginative as the pictures from the website. It was simply perfect. Rick had arranged a girl's night out for her and her close friends. _Let me do this for you._ His words imprinted on her heart. Insistent that she take some time out with her girlfriends and have a good time for one night, Rick planned the entire day for them. First they'd have a few hours at _Sip & Seraut_, the painting and cocktails studio Michonne had been dying to go to for months. And they'd wrap with dinner at _Craft Izakaya_ , a very posh sushi restaurant that Michonne absolutely adored. He even arranged for a car to take them just in case they had a bit too much to drink at the studio. His thoughtfulness would not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Michonne had some things planned for him this evening for this sweet treat.

She absolutely adored Rick. He was always so considerate and keenly aware of her interests and loves, even when they didn't quite mesh with his. And for him to create "me time" for her was so refreshing. Rick understood Michonne's need to recharge after being drained by the day to day hustle and bustle and often allowed her time to herself. But sometimes she'd use him to replenish, resting in his arms after a long day at work, dwelling in silence, often only for a brief moment. The comfort of his embrace was usually just what she needed and more than enough. How did she get that lucky?

"I'm here with a small group," Michonne addressed the receptionist, a bright grin plastered across her face, unable to contain her excitement.

"Through here," the receptionist replied, making her way beyond the beaded curtain to the main part of the studio. "I believe the rest of the ladies are already setting up."

"They are," Michonne questioned as she followed the petite red head, a bit shocked that she was the last to arrive. She was always the early one. She couldn't believe Tara was there, as she was naturally twenty minutes late to everything.

"Hey Mich," Andrea leaped from her stool, glass of cabernet filled nearly to the brim in tow. "You're sitting next to me, love."

She pecked Michonne on the cheek and guided her towards the stool next to hers.

"How many drinks have you had," Michonne asked her best friend as she slid atop the stool and placed her bag on the table before her.

"Enough," Andrea returned. "Don't police me tonight, Mich. I need this… maybe more than you."

"How long have you all been waiting," Michonne asked, her eyes scanning the studio in an attempt to locate all of her friends.

"I got here about five minutes before you," Sasha chimed in, making her way towards the table as she tied the painter's apron around her waist. She stood beside Michonne and placed a loving arm around her shoulder. "And what vino did you bring? I hope it's that malbec. I love it. Spencer and I just ran out of that case you got us for our second wedding anniversary."

"You know it," Michonne delightfully replied, removing the bottle from her over-sized tote bag.

"Come to mama," Sasha proclaimed grabbing the bottle from Michonne's grip. "And it's already chilled. I love you Michonne."

"You know I wouldn't leave you hanging," Michonne returned. "I think you love that wine more than I do."

"It gets Spencer in the mood," Sasha teased, walking away to pour herself a glass.

"Hey 'Chonne." Maggie appeared from the back donning her apron. "You ready to do some paintin'?"

"I'm so excited," Michonne answered. "I've been dying to do this for a long time. Rick really came through, didn't he?"

"Yeah," Maggie returned. "Glenn tried to ease his way into the mix but I shut that down. I need to hang with my friends by myself. Between him and the baby..." Her eyes grew wide as she approached Michonne and snuggly embraced her.

"It gets easier," Michonne offered her sweet friend. Being a new and first time mom was a tough gig for sure. "I promise you. And at least you have a ton of help. Everybody wants a piece of baby Hershel with his cute self."

"My baby boy is cute isn't he," Maggie blushed and grinned at the thought of her sweet infant.

Tara and Denise made their way from the back of the studio. "We were just talking to the instructor and she's so talented. She was showing us some of her personal oil paintings. Cool stuff."

"Oh," Denise interjected coming to Michonne's side for a hug. "Carol isn't going to make it. She got tied up at her bakery."

"That's alright," Michonne added. "My sister isn't able to make it either. They changed her to night shifts at the hospital."

"Michy," Beth yelped as she burst through the beaded curtain from the front of the studio, Michonne's attention averted to the bubbly blonde.

"And how's my favorite college grad," Michonne stood to give the petite blonde a hug.

"Awesome! I've been interviewing like crazy. Hope I land a job soon. I'm sure Maggie and Glenn are tired of me."

"Nope," Maggie replied, taking a seat across from Michonne. "You're the best free babysitter we could've asked for."

"It doesn't feel like babysitting when it's your nephew," Beth grinned. "He's the cutest, sweetest baby ever."

Sasha returned with an apron for Michonne and a mason jar full of brushes and sat to the left of Michonne.

"So Mich," Andrea began. "How on earth did you get Rick to plan all of this? I can't get Shane to do shit anymore."

Michonne giggled. "I don't know. Rick does this stuff on his own. He's charming like that. I had been pulling double shifts for the past four weeks at work and we just wrapped that case. He took me to a drive-in movie yesterday after work as a small celebration. Picked me up and we ate dinner in the back of the pick-up. It was… perfect. He really spoils me."

Sighs and awws filled the air as Michonne praised her man. She loved that his romantic gestures elicited such gushy emotions and maybe even a teeny bit of envy from her friends. Rick was truly one of kind and any woman would be lucky to be with him. Michonne was just over the moon that he was hers.

The firm had required much more of her time with the last case. Some nights she'd go home, fix dinner, bathe and tuck Andre in to sleep, only to return to the office to work until the next morning. It was exhausting but Rick had been amazing during this last case, keeping Andre on whims when she'd have to pull all nighters or he'd bring her lunch just so he could spend a little time with her because he knew her evenings would be occupied. She loved and appreciated him so much. More than she could ever show him. She really needed to step up her romance game, which, at the moment, paled in comparison to Rick.

The instructor brought everyone's attention to the front of the art studio and hung up the painting the ladies were going to duplicate for the evening; An impressionist style of the Eiffel Tower against a dark starry sky. Michonne had chosen that picture and all of the girls agreed they'd enjoy trying to recreate that setting. Techniques on brush strokes and how much water would be needed for each type of layer applied with the acrylic paints was delivered by the instructor and they all listened keenly. Well, some more than others. Andrea was pretty involved with her glass of wine and wore this pensive look on her face. Michonne had to poke her side to get her to pay attention at one point.

"You are not going to harass me about what brush and technique to use. Okay," Michonne scolded as Andrea hissed, placing her glass of wine on the table and giving the instructor her undivided attention.

"Let's get started ladies," the instructor voiced as they began painting. Before long they were all glassed up on wine, laughing at each other's painting skills, singing along to the music playing faintly in the background and just enjoying the moment together. The night was perfect and everything Michonne had wished it to be.

 ** _Rick_**

He thought he'd be a lot more nervous, though his damp palms would tell a different story. Pulling out the black velvet box from his jean pocket, he flipped it open and inspected the engagement ring for the hundredth time. Reflections of light caught his eye as he twirled the ring in between his fingers. The round cut diamond was surrounded by a unique spiraled white gold band, tiny diamonds embedded throughout. It was just as beautiful and unique as Michonne. The fact that he had designed the ring himself made him all the more proud that he'd created something that matched Michonne's beauty, creativity and artistic nature.

If anyone had told Rick four years ago he would have found love after the tragic loss of his wife, he would have laughed or maybe even delivered a blow to their face. Lori's death held Rick captive for what felt like an eternity but other plans were predestined. He was introduced to Michonne and everything changed. Life was once bleak and cold. Now his world was colored with umber smooth skin, mulberry stained lips and the most life giving, radiating golden light shining from such a spectacular soul. Michonne literally brought him and his family back to life and for that he was infinitely grateful.

On the surface, most would assume these two were polar opposites, an unlikely pair, but they actually had much more in common than even they knew. Shane, Rick's oldest best friend, had thrown a surprise birthday party for his on again, off again girlfriend, Andrea, two years ago. Reluctantly, Rick attended the party and much to his surprise he eyed a stunning beauty posted up in a corner all alone. He wasn't usually the gregarious type but something, magnetism perhaps, drew him in. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he approached her and struck up a very casual conversation. Not long after introducing themselves to each other, Andrea bee lined towards them.

"Michonne," she interrupted, her crystal clear eyes scanning between the two of them; her tone, mischievous in manner. What was she up to? "This is Rick Grimes, Shane's best friend. The one I was telling you about."

 _The one she was telling her about?_ How peculiar that he was ever a topic of discussion among these two women but far be it for him to halt this conversation. He needed to know more, as the statement evoked his interest.

"I gathered," Michonne answered, a slight smile appearing across her full heart shaped lips. Rick felt his heartbeat accelerate at her shy grin and he was pretty sure she was blushing, though her deep skin camouflaged her response. He knew then that he _had_ to know more about the woman sitting all alone in the corner.

Spending the rest of the evening getting acquainted, unaware of the party goers surrounding them or the time that had lapsed, Rick quickly recognized that he didn't want to stop talking to Michonne. Ever. She was so interesting and different and absolutely stunning. By the end of the night they had revealed that they were both widowed. Finally someone who knew his struggle, someone he could engage, identify and relate to. Someone who could offer him the solace and answers that no one else could. Trying to keep his cool, Rick built up enough courage within seconds to ask for her phone number. Willingly, she gave it to him and asked for his in return. From that point on they had become inseparable. What started out as a solid friendship built up quite seamlessly into love in a matter of months. How lucky was he to have found her during such a sober and grave period in his life?

He couldn't wait to ask Michonne to be his wife, solidifying their already pretty blended families. Carl instantly took to Andre, teaching the young boy how to play catch and often spent time reading to both Andre and his baby sister, Judy, on the evenings Michonne had to work late. And he really revered Michonne. She and Carl had a unique and special bond. It also didn't hurt her case that she was a DC comic fanatic like Carl and they both happened to be bibliophiles. It appeared the course for his life with Michonne was securely rooted and the time had come for Rick to make the proper steps in furthering their relationship. He'd thought nerves would have gotten the best of him but in his heart of hearts he knew she wouldn't turn him down. He was in love and he was certain that love would be fully returned with an affirmative from Michonne to his proposal. He couldn't wait to make her Mrs. Grimes.

 ** _Michonne_**

Just as they were wrapping up, cleaning their brushes and removing their aprons, Andrea's glass teetered on the edge of the table, presumably on its way out of this world into a million shattered pieces. But before it rolled off, Michonne captured it and sat it upright while Andrea wiped up the red wine that had spilled on the tiled floor.

"Well," Andrea mumbled, sopping up as much of the deep red liquid as she could with a roll of paper towels. "This is never coming out of my jeans."

"Come on Andy," Michonne gently commanded, offering Andrea a helping hand from where she stooped. "Let's get you cleaned up."

The two made their way to the bathroom and Andrea immediately soaped up a thick paper towel and began to blot at the red stain spreading across the leg of her jeans.

"You got it," Michonne asked, leaning against the wall, concerned, examining her best friend. Andrea seemed a bit _off_ today and Michonne couldn't quite pinpoint what was going on. She'd get it out of her later.

"Yeah," Andrea answered. "I hope this didn't ruin your night."

"Girl, please," Michonne countered with a laugh. "No one can ruin a night quite like you, let's be honest. But this is mild in comparison to what we've been through… slashing your ex boyfriend's tires ten years ago, doing a gas run unbeknownst to us with those dudes you picked up in college. Almost leaving me that night we went skinny dipping in high school. That's ruining a night."

"Oh my gosh," Andrea planted a palm to her forehead. "I forgot about the gas run. You thought for sure we were going to jail that night."

Michonne giggled. "I just knew that incident was going to rear its ugly head and keep me from being accepted into law school."

"Ugh," Andrea exclaimed. "I'm the worst friend ever. Why do you even keep me around?"

"Because I love your crazy, passionate ass. You've been there for me more times than I can count. All the break ups through high school and college. My nine months of sickness pregnancy. Mike's death. When my dad got sick… All of it," Michonne admitted. "You're my girl."

"I love you too Michy," Andrea started to tear up, the waterworks about to explode, as that was her way. As passionate and fiery as Andrea was, her sensitivity was equally ranked. She wrapped her arms around Michonne tight and the two embraced. "And you deserve all the goodness in this world. Everything amazing that it has to offer."

"You too," Michonne muttered through the tears. "I think the malbec and cabernet are talking now."

The two giggled and headed towards the bathroom door, eager to wrap up this leg of the evening's events.

"Also, you're not driving home," Michonne stated firmly. "You're riding with me to the sushi restaurant and crashing on my sofa tonight."

"Yes, ma'am," Andrea answered wiping her face clean before exiting the tiny bathroom, Michonne trailing her.

As they rounded the corner, Michonne noticed no one was sitting at the long table. Surveying the studio, Michonne finally found the girls lined up at the back of the studio, standing with canvasses in front of them. How dare they take the group picture without her and Andrea, she thought as she focused in on her friends. They were all giddy and smiling wide. Maggie was the first canvas she glanced at. It wasn't the painting they'd just finished though. It was the word ' _will_ ' scrawled in beautiful calligraphy. Next in line was Beth, clutching a canvas with the word ' _you_ '. Sasha's read ' _marry_ ', Tara's read ' _me_ ' and Denise's canvas finished it up with her name, ' _Michonne_ '. She was so confused, so she read through the canvases once more and before she could even open her mouth to ask questions, Rick emerged from behind one of the draped curtains, a black velvet ring box in his hands. Approaching her quickly, he got down on one knee before her. Andrea held onto her tight as she began to shake with nerves. She couldn't believe what was happening in front of her eyes. Was she dreaming? She really hadn't drank that much.

"What do ya say," Rick drawled, a sly grin plastered across his lips. "You gonna make an honest man outta me?"

Gasping for air, Michonne clutched her racing heart as her stomach churned with fluttering. Unable to remove her eyes from Rick, she stared what felt like eons at the man she loved. He was actually proposing to her. Now. In this very moment. He was asking her to make a life with him. To go the distance with him. To journey in this world for the rest of their lives. She tossed herself into his arms, nearly knocking him over. His arm wrapped around her waist as she brought her lips to his, the taste so sweet and heavenly.

"Yes," she finally spoke once she decided to come up for air. "Of course I'll marry you."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** How'd you like that proposal? Rick can be sweet... when he's not biting into carotid arteries! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. I'd love to know. And thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate it! :)


	2. Something Old, Something New

**_Rick_**

Picking Michonne up by the waist, he effortlessly swung her around and planted a soft kiss to her lips before allowing her feet to touch the ground. This was heaven. She said yes and he was overcome with an inexplicable joy, even more than he thought he would. She grabbed his face, her long, elegant fingers easing into the thick of his curls, playing with the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. He'd wanted her and him to remain like this forever. It didn't matter that all of her closest friends and some strangers were surrounding them in that moment, watching them in surprise and glee. All that mattered was that she said yes and that he'd be able to hold her like this forever. Staring into her deep roasted chestnut eyes, a broad smile spread across his mouth. _She said yes._ He didn't know why he was so stunned at her response. He didn't doubt she would say yes but somehow her affirmation brought forth such a sentimental response. He was simply enamored with her. All of her.

Tears flowed from her as he returned his gaze into the depths of her eyes, a bright smile surfacing through the wave of elation. No words were spoken, as often was the case between the two of them. They possessed a connection Rick couldn't explain but knew deep in the crevices of his soul belonged solely to the two of them. An appreciative, gentle kiss skimmed Rick's lips, extracting the desire he had for her as a warm sensation traveled throughout his body. He wanted to take her home right then and there to do some _stuff and thangs_ but thought better of it. This was her night off and he wanted her to enjoy it to the fullest with her girlfriends. And now they had plenty to chat about in regards to the slight change in the night's events.

"I love you so much," Michonne whispered as she rested her head against his shoulder, allowing him to encompass her, his strong arms drowning and protecting her small frame with all the love and affection he bore.

"I love you too, baby," Rick returned kissing her forehead, almost bitterly pulling away from her embrace. He literally never wanted to let her go. "Now go have fun with your girls for the rest of the evenin'."

"I don't know if I want to go with them now," she confessed, her hands splayed across his chest. He noticed her eyeing the ring on her slender finger, a slight grin emerging. "This ring is stunning babe. I mean," she was almost at a loss for words, which was quite unusual for her. "It's perfectly… me."

"Because I know you, Michonne," Rick acknowledged, his fingers gently lifting Michonne's chin up so he could peer into her eyes. She deserved all the best things that this world had to offer. It was his pleasure to gift her with a ring that reflected her and her value to him and their family as a whole. "The diamonds embedded in the band are from my great grandmother's engagement ring. Somethin' old mixed in with somethin' new."

"You're always so thoughtful." She shook her head in utter disbelief as her eyes widened at this bit of news, averting her gaze between Rick and the ring upon her finger. Her eyes glimmered just as brightly as the ring. "I cannot believe how lucky I am to have you in my life and that I now get to call you _my_ husband."

"No," Rick countered. "I'm the lucky one. You saved me from my own hopelessness and longin'. I don't know when I would've fully recovered from my loss if it weren't for you."

"I feel the exact same way about you, Rick," Michonne agreed, her eyes brimming with a fresh cry.

"Don't," Rick voiced, as his fingers wiped away the tears before they overflowed. "Now go. I'll see you later."

He unwillingly pulled away from her once more but not before she grabbed his hand tight in her own, bringing it to her lips for a softly planted kiss. "See you soon."

Rick made his way through the tiny lobby of the studio, his heart racing, about to burst and wearing a smile that was nowhere near fading. He dug deep into his pockets to retrieve his keys. He couldn't wait for Michonne to finish her night and come by his place for the rest of the evening. She was the only thing on his mind at the moment. He really didn't want her to go on with her friends tonight but he knew she needed this down time with them. Walking up to his truck, he hit the unlock button and reached for the handle to get in. Sliding his body into the driver's seat, he reached for the seat belt and heard the sound of the passenger door opening, Michonne slipping into the seat next to him.

"The girls understand that I need to be with you right now," she rushed out as she leaned over the console, her hands reaching towards Rick's face, capturing his lips with hers, so impassioned, so hungry, so full of life and hope and love. She drew her lips away from him and buckled her seat belt. "Denise is taking my car back to my condo. Tara's gonna tail her. And did you know that Andrea was drinking grape juice tonight instead of wine?"

"Yeah," he laughed, shocked and pleased all the same at her decision to come home with him tonight. "It was her idea actually. Her tipsy Andrea routine really fooled ya, huh?"

"I have to admit, you all got me," she spoke turning her body and attention to Rick, lodging her hands into his curly hair. He loved the feel of her fingers massaging his scalp as he made his way out of the studio parking lot and towards his home, a small smirk crossing his lips.

* * *

The nutty aroma of Michonne's hazelnut coffee wafted throughout Rick's house, pulling him out of his sleep. He looked to his left to find an empty spot, his hands smoothing over the cold space Michonne not long ago occupied. He eased his legs from under the thin blanket and donned the jeans jumbled in a pile of his clothing next to his bed. He wanted to savor the night they just spent together, etching every word spoken, every kiss that graced his skin, the slight touch of her velvety palms sweeping across his body, the smell of lavender in her hair, the taste of her dancing upon his tongue, her dark irises intently gazing into his as their bodies joined, the sound of her moans echoing into the hushed darkness, his name fleeing from her lips as he plunged deeper, desperate to be closer to her, the sound of her laugh as he whispered confessions of his love and desire into her ears. He wanted it all to last forever. If only they could remain like this every hour of every day, he would consider his life perfect.

Making his way to the kitchen, he reached into the cupboard and pulled out Michonne's favorite large coffee mug adorned with tick marks that stated _Shhh…_ , _Almost…_ and _Now You May Speak._ A normal coffee mug suited him just fine. He poured them each a cup, careful to fix Michonne's just the way she liked it, a few tablespoons of creamer and one tablespoon of sugar. He preferred his coffee strong and black. He found her sitting on the porch swing, observing her just behind the screen door. One of his old ratty t-shirts swallowed her lean body as she chatted on the phone, more than likely with her younger sister, Sloane. One of her legs was tucked beneath her body while the tips of her toes from the other swayed the swing back and forth.

"I can't wait for you to see the ring Sloanie. It's so beautiful. He did a really good job," Michonne breathed into the phone, her voice still a bit husky from sleep. The screen door screeched, drawing her attention away from the conversation. "I'll call you back. Rick's up and he has coffee." A pause came before Michonne wrapped the conversation. "Love you too. See you later today for lunch."

"Hey," she offered, scooting over and grabbing the steaming cup of java from Rick's grasp. She fanned the hot coffee scent towards her nose and breathed in the heady fragrance, sighing in delight at the awakening bouquet. Rick found his spot next to her, draped his arm along the back of the swing and took over swaying the two of them as Michonne tucked both feet underneath his t-shirt, snuggling her body closer to his, her head resting on his shoulder. He took a long sip of coffee and squeezed her shoulder as they enjoyed the crisp morning air.

"How'd Sloane react to the news," Rick finally asked, breaking the silence.

"She screamed. You know Sloane," Michonne laughed. "She gets so excited."

"She started lookin' for venues yet," Rick questioned with a smile of his own. Sloane was pretty zealous, bold and straight forward, dropping hints to Rick about marrying Michonne about six months after they started officially dating. She took a liking to him fairly quickly, which surprised Michonne and Rick from what Michonne had told him. Sloane was pretty skeptical of people and their intentions but something about Rick put her at ease and she thought he was worthy and perfect for her big sister. He was so grateful for her faith in him and vowed to ensure her faith in him remained.

"You know it," Michonne confirmed. "She was all over the place. Country wedding, Bohemian, Modern Chic… she tossed out every idea that came to mind. I'm expecting several Pinterest boards to take over our lunch today."

Rick chuckled before taking another sip of his coffee, comforting him from the constant cool breeze slithering over his bare chest. Michonne shook slightly as the wind picked up, causing her to move in closer. Rick sat his cup down onto the planked deck and pulled her closer to his body as they continued to sway back and forth in the swing.

"Where's Carl and Judy," Michonne asked. "I was so distracted with everything last night that I forgot to ask."

"At my parent's," Rick answered. "And 'Dre?"

"With his aunt Jacqui," Michonne replied, one of her hands now roaming over Rick's chest. "She's been really adamant about spending more time with him and just having him spend time with Mike's family here lately."

"That's good," Rick offered. "Lori's parents want Carl and Judy for the summer. Not sure if Carl will be down for that though. I told him, he won't always have his grandparents and he better spend some time with 'em."

"He doesn't have to stay the entire summer," Michonne suggested.

"I told him that," Rick replied. "I think he's thinkin' 'bout it. His mom… that was really tough on him. And Lori looks just like her mom. I think Betty reminds him of her. But you know this already. Let's talk about somethin' else. Thinkin' about Carl and his state of mind, works me up sometimes."

"Of course we can talk about something else. I understand," Michonne agreed.

"So," Rick thought aloud, picking up his cup of coffee for another long sip. "Where we gonna live once we're married?"

Michonne's head popped up from where it rested on his shoulder, her eyes wide in surprise at his question. "That hadn't even crossed my mind yet but apparently you have given this some thought."

"I've been livin' with it for a while now," Rick admitted with a slight laugh, rubbing the light stubble growing on his chin. It was time for a shave. "After I spoke with your mom about marrying you, I started looking for bigger houses."

"Wait," Michonne paused, the reels in her mind moving a thousand miles per second. "You asked my mother for my hand?"

"And your brother," Rick added, taking another long sip of coffee. He looked at her with smiling eyes before changing the subject back to their living arrangements. "We can find a house in between here and the city, so we're both not too far from our jobs."

"But I love your house," Michonne complimented with a slight frown. "It's so cute and charming and has so much character."

"And it's too old and too small for the five of us. And what if we have more kids," Rick hinted, slightly averting his eyes towards Michonne, awaiting some response. What response? He had not one clue. Hopefully joy.

"You want more kids Rick," Michonne asked, a bit shocked. She turned her head up towards his face once more, her brow furrowed slightly.

"Why are you frownin'? I always wanted a big family," Rick confessed, his grin growing wider at the thought of more little ones around the house. "I've told you that before. And I want kids with you. _Our_ babies. They'll have your smile and your welcoming warm eyes and that beautiful brown skin that tans and doesn't burn like mine."

Michonne didn't respond, just stared at him, her eyes roaming his face, perhaps searching for the right words to reply to him. She always thought everything through, especially when she thought the subject matter was something of great importance. Rick was sure children fit the bill. He smiled at her disbelief at him genuinely wanting more kids. Sure, three kids was a handful but he wanted to father children with _her_ ; Children that were part her and part him. He couldn't imagine _not_ having children with Michonne. It would completely break his heart if they didn't.

She eased her head back to his shoulder after a while and wrapped an arm across his abdomen. "Then we'll have a baby," she finally offered. "A little girl. And she'll have your eyes."

"Or twins. A boy and a girl," Rick teasingly professed, receiving a little slap across his thigh from Michonne. "And they'll both have one brown eye and one blue eye."

"Let's start with one first," she replied. "And why would you wish two different colored eyes on our babies?"

"You said babies. You want more than one," Rick grinned as he caught Michonne professing multiple children into their future.

"No," she argued. "I was just picking up where you left off. We're only having one baby, now."

"As you wish," he answered before giving Michonne a tiny peck on her forehead. They continued swaying along with the breeze on the front porch, the morning easily fading into the early afternoon.

"But don't get upset if we end up with twins. They run in my family."

"They do not," Michonne frowned, second guessing his statement. "Do they, really?"

Rick laughed and stood up from the swing, offering Michonne an assist as they made their way back inside the house, his hand splayed at the small of her lower back.

"My mom had a twin," Rick whispered.

"She did not," Michonne debated. "I'm calling her right now."

"Okay, okay," Rick laughed. "I'm just kidding but wouldn't twins be good? Killing two birds with one stone?"

"You want twice the diapers, twice the sleep deprivation, twice the doctor's bills and college tuition," Michonne presented in her typical manner of arguing her case. He knew she was right but loved seeing her mind go on the defense.

"You're right," he finally relented. "But we can work on making that baby, right now. What do you say?"

"Mmmm," Michonne moaned as she turned to face him, stretching up onto the tips of her toes, her mouth inches from his as her breath fell upon his lips. He closed his eyes as the warmth of her exhale oozed from her mouth and spread over his. "Not right, now."

"What," Rick snapped, his eyes shooting open in surprise. How dare she trick him like that?

"I gotta get ready to meet Sloane," Michonne grinned and planted a quick kiss to his lips, the betrayal leaving Rick and his excited body to their lonesome. "But later babe. I am all yours."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** More sweet Rick and Michonne is such a tease! I love these two so much. So how many Richonne petits bébés do you think are in these two love birds' future? I'd love to hear from you but if not, my sincerest thanks for taking the time to read. You're the best! :)


	3. Planning Paradise

**_Michonne_**

Sloane was already seated on the patio of the restaurant, her iPad upright with Pinterest illuminating on the screen. Michonne had to laugh at the sight, as she'd called it earlier to Rick. Her sister was so type A. She should just pay Sloane to plan the whole thing but she'd have to put some reigns on her. Sloane could easily go overboard and over budget, if allowed. One thing was for sure, her wedding would be the most organized and together wedding if she gave Sloane free reign to do as she pleased. Sloane could have easily been an organizational life coach. Her closet was like a store display. Everything was organized by color, style and season. She'd been like that their entire lives. Michonne was organized but her sister was obsessive compulsive with her philosophy of everything having a rightful place and order. Before stepping foot onto the patio, Michonne saw her baby sister leap from her seat to greet her. A big bear hug found Michonne and she snuck a kiss onto her baby sister's cheek.

"Michy-poo," Sloane squealed as she squeezed Michonne tightly. With a spry jolt, Sloane did a little tip toe dance and started to sing, "Let me see the ring! Let me see the ring!"

Dangling her hand in front of Sloane's face, a high pitched gasp met Michonne's ears. Sloane also had a penchant for theatrics. "It's so beautiful Michy." She stuck her hand into the side pocket of her floral rumper and pulled out her cell phone. "Now keep your hand poised right where it is. I gotta get a shot of it on your hand."

"Slo-Jo, why do you need a picture of my ring," Michonne questioned, eyeing Sloane but still obliging. The ring was worthy of being photographed and displayed on whatever social media Sloane had this pic planned for.

"I'm sending it to Danny," she answered in her usual matter of fact way. "Hint, hint."

"Girl, you are going to scare Danny off."

"He ain't goin' nowhere after I've invested four years of my life in him. I wish he would. I run this," Sloane declared. She found her way back to their table, Michonne following. "I ordered us crepes and tea."

"I need meat," Michonne informed as she sat in front of her sister. She was absolutely starving and felt the jitters coming on. She shouldn't have drank that third cup of coffee.

"It's a celebratory app," Sloane stated with a roll of her eyes. "Did you tell Zachary?"

"He already knew. Mama too," Michonne informed her baby sister. "Rick actually asked mom and Zach for my hand."

"Hmm," Sloane hummed, a bit bummed she wasn't in the know, Michonne could tell. But Rick was good not to tell Sloane. The girl couldn't hold water.

"I called mama on the way here and Zach was there helping her with some yard work. Mama did a squeal that was quite similar to yours. I asked Zach if he'd walk me down the aisle."

"Oh good," Sloane stated. "And he said yes, right?"

"Of course," Michonne replied, batting her eyes. "What older brother would say no to his favorite sister?"

"Zachary loves me too," Sloane snarled before sipping a bit of her tea. "Even though I wear him out."

"You wear us all out Sloane," Michonne laughed. "But growing up without you would have been boring as hell. You brought some much needed excitement and drama into our home."

"This is how God made me, okay," Sloane defended herself. "Accept it."

"Oh, it's been accepted boo," Michonne answered as the waitress placed a plate of fresh crepes in the center of the table. Her eyes honed in and her mouth began to water. Was that chocolate sauce drizzled on top? "Oh my gosh those smell so good."

"It's the nutella and chocolate ones you love so much," Sloane stated, placing one on her sister's plate before serving herself. "So, I want all the details. How did Rick propose?"

"You know how he arranged for us to go to _Sip & Seraut_," Michonne took a big bite of the crepe and closed her eyes, relishing the divine taste of the chocolate and nutella crepe, her sweet tooth easily taking over in the moment. The treat just melted in her mouth, the flavors melding and complimenting one another. It was pure delight.

"Um," Sloane interrupted, tapping her fork on the table. "Don't eat while dishing, sis. I need the details."

With her mouth half full, Michonne rolled her eyes and swallowed hard. "I'm hungry Sloane but for you I'll make an exception. So we stayed there for a few hours and finished our paintings. Andrea _'accidentally'_ spilled wine on her jeans."

"Andy is such a lush," Sloane stated, while sipping her tea.

"It was really grape juice. It was her way of getting me out of the studio. Apparently, that's when Rick made his entrance and hid behind one of the drapes in the studio. When we came out of bathroom, all the girls were lined up at the front of the studio holding out canvases, each with one word on them. _Will. You. Marry. Me. Michonne_ ," she emphasized that last bit, her eyes beaming in sheer enchantment. She still couldn't believe they pulled one over on her. "Then Rick just appeared from nowhere and got down on one knee and asked me to make an honest man out of him."

"Oh my goodnessssss," Sloane nearly screamed. "That is so freaking romantic. Rick is a keeper for sure. Does he have a younger brother? I mean, I can't believe I missed out. I hate my new shift so much right now. Did Andy know? She had to. And I spoke with her just before she made it to the studio and she mentioned nothing. Imma fight her when I see her," Sloane managed to get all of that out without inhaling once.

She was beyond excited and that made Michonne even more thrilled. That she could genuinely celebrate this moment with the people she loved and they were all on board with it. Everyone loved Rick almost as much as she did. And Sloane was right, he was most certainly a keeper. For all the days of breath she had left within her, Michonne would love Rick until the day she had no more life.

"Sloane," Michonne started, tracking back through everything Sloane just verbally laid out. "He's the sweetest. I don't know how I got that lucky. It has to be fate. And no he doesn't have a younger brother but an older one that's married with five kids. And let's be real Sloanie, you're tiny and tenacious but Andrea knows krav maga. Don't fool yourself."

"I can't believe I wasn't there," Sloane whined, completely ignoring Michonne's answers and consequent assessment of the outcome of a fight between her and Andrea.

"But you get the job of helping me plan this thing," Michonne smiled at her sister, who's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Michonne knew the assignment of helping her plan the wedding would be music to Sloane's ears.

"Are you serious, Michy? Like for real. I get to plan the _entire_ thing?"

"Um, I said _help me_ plan this thing not you plan the entire thing. As in I will assist you and tell you _no_ when I don't like something. You and your selective hearing, child. Listen," Michonne frowned and shook her head.

"So does that mean I can still be a part of the wedding party?"

"Um, you can add the planning to your maid of honor duties," Michonne smiled.

"You're really going to let me be your maid of honor?"

"Well, you and Andy will co-maid, if that's alright with you," Michonne added, taking another bite of her crepe, this one much smaller than the one before. "I haven't mentioned anything to Andrea yet. It's up to you."

"Well, since I'm planning the _whole_ thing," Sloane added, completely disregarding Michonne's earlier correction. "We can give the maid of honor role to Andy. She'll do good keeping you in line throughout everything."

"Sloane, I swear, if you don't stop saying you're planning my wedding solely by yourself, I will headlock you," Michonne said with a severe side eye.

"So when is the big day," Sloane asked, clapping her hands together lightly. She was overjoyed.

"Um," Michonne hesitated a bit. "We want to get it done quickly, so end of June."

"Michonne," Sloane screeched. "March starts tomorrow. You're giving me like two and a half months to plan this."

"Yes," Michonne stated frankly. "We're not willing to wait any longer. We want to get this done sista."

"Whatever you say sissy. I can get it done," Sloane sighed before stuffing her mouth with the rest of her crepe. "Imstillplanningitall," she muffled with a full mouth. Michonne cut her eyes to her baby sister and tossed her napkin at Sloan's face before the two commenced laughing.

 ** _Carl_**

"Dad," Carl called out into the open. He'd just connected his phone to the car's bluetooth and adjusted his rearview mirror to check on Judith, who played with her baby doll while securely strapped in her booster seat. "Why are we meeting you at Michonne's?"

"I told you," Rick answered, tossing Judith's bag onto the floor. "She has some stuff she wants to talk to us about. I gotta go Carl. Y'all be careful."

Ending the call with his dad, Carl stared through the windshield, the bright sun beaming through causing him to squint. His thoughts were running a hundred miles an hour. What could Michonne want to talk to them about? Why would she invite them over to her place instead of just telling them over dinner or over the phone? He was a bit frightened, his suspicions of losing someone close to him again heightened. Was her job transferring her away? Was she breaking up with his dad? He earnestly hoped that wasn't the case. It simply couldn't be. She was too important to him, Judy and his dad. She was a gift sent to them when they needed her the most. His wish was that she felt the same about them. He was certain that she did, though. And Andre. He didn't want to not be able to spend time with 'Dre. He'd always wanted a little brother to hang with and teach things to. This had to be good news she was sharing with them. It just had to.

Unaware that someone else had entered the car, Carl felt the laser stare from Enid searing the side of his face. Apparently he was being intense, his knuckles almost white from his tight grip on the steering wheel. A loving hand caressed his cheek, bringing him further into the present and out of the darkened and hollow parts of his mind.

"I'm alright," Carl offered, loosening his grip as to relieve his girlfriend's mind. He knew Enid would take notice of his tension and start worrying if he didn't scale back his apprehension.

"You sure," Enid questioned. He didn't know how Enid knew exactly when something troubled him but he always found such comfort in her intuition. She'd been through just as much trauma and tragedy as he did, which did nothing but aid in them connecting as quickly as they did. Enid had lost both of her parents in a car accident when she was fourteen. Shortly after that, her cousin Denise took her in.

Carl was also fourteen when his mother died shortly after giving birth to Judith. He'd never forget the day for as long as he shall live. His grandmother picked him up from school and quickly ushered him to the hospital. His mom was in and out of consciousness but had managed to stay alert and awake long enough to greet and chat with Carl. She'd been suffering from some severe hemorrhaging triggered by amniotic-fluid embolism, a complication in which amniotic fluid or other matter re-enters the mother's bloodstream. Reaching out her pale and ashen hand, his mother stroked the side of his face and told him he was going to be the best biggest brother his sister could have asked for. She made him promise to always protect, always trusts and remain close to his baby sister.

 _"I want you to name her," she finally spoke. "Remember that book of names you and I would read at night sometimes? Did any of the names stand out? Have you seen her?"_

 _"Yeah," he uttered, a large lump of emotions lodged at the base of his throat. Something about her tone expressed finality. What would he do without his mom? Who would he become without his mother's love? "I really like the name Judith. My favorite teacher's name was Judith?"_

 _"That's beautiful Carl," his mother breathed. "It's perfect. Judith it is."_

"Denise knows something," Enid offered, buckling her seat belt and connecting her phone's bluetooth to the car, the thought of someone being in the know drawing Carl back to the here and now. "Some _Death Cab_ for the ride?"

" _Plans_ ," Carl suggested. "That's my favorite. And Denise didn't say anything to you? She tells you everything."

"Nope," Enid answered not removing her eyes from her phone. She found the album and started playing it through the car's system. Carl must have started in again on his death grip because Enid placed a soft, loving hand over his moments after the music started to play. "You're really tense. Are you about to tear the steerin' wheel off?"

Carl chuckled, "I may be a little tense, huh?

"I'm sure everything is fine," Enid urged. "Denise has been giddy for the past two days and she's expressionless most of the time. It has to be something good."

 ** _Rick_**

Perched on the edge of the bed, Rick stroked the stubble along his jaw as to keep his hands from grabbing Michonne's hips and pulling her on top of him onto her bed. She stood in between his legs, her cell phone trapped between her beautiful face and bare shoulder, talking to Sloane about an appointment at a dress boutique in Buckhead. In her hands were three ties that she placed on Rick's shoulders several times, trying to determine which one he should wear tonight. They were having their official 'engagement party' this evening for all of their closest friends and loved ones. It was also time for them to break the wonderful news to Carl, Andre and Judith.

"Okay, Sloane," Michonne enunciated into the phone, tossing the eliminated ties behind Rick on the bed, her hands now crossed over her chest. "Bye."

"You alright," Rick asked just as Michonne tossed the phone next to the reject ties.

"I might kill her," Michonne declared, gesturing for Rick to stand up. Her dreads were high upon the top of her head, tied into a large bun and her skin glistened like bronze. The honey and almond scent of her skin wafted between the two of them as she brought the green tie over Rick's head and began to fix it, disorienting Rick in the most delightful way. He wanted to lick her skin but knew the moment wasn't appropriate. Still, his mind couldn't stop trying to recollect just how sweet her skin tasted against his tongue. "Why did I give her these tasks? Why? She's being bossy and dramatic and this is all my fault. She's stressing me out and it's only been a couple of weeks. I think the only way out is her death."

"We need you around, so no murder," Rick teased, trying to get Michonne to focus on his eyes. They were so clear and beautiful and he wanted to just stand there and drink them in. "I can't arrest my fiancé."

Unable to keep his hands to himself, Rick grabbed Michonne's rear and reeled her body into his until they were touching, hoping she could feel his very evident need for her through the barriers of their clothing. She giggled all while continuing to fix his tie.

"Let's skip all of this and elope," Rick muttered, burying his mouth into Michonne's neck, her head tilting back in response to his warm breath soaring over her skin. "It'll be easier for all involved… namely us. And we've both already done the big wedding thing 'Chonne. We can get away with runnin' off and gettin' hitched and come out of it unscathed."

Buzzing from his pocket interrupted the moment and he reluctantly pulled away and dug deep into the pockets of his slacks to retrieve his phone, Michonne's hands planted on his chest as he read his phone. A broad smile spread over his lips.

"Carl's here," he announced with a grin.

 ** _Carl_**

When his dad and Michonne emerged from her bedroom, Carl's heart began to race but stopped suddenly as he noted the suit and tie his dad wore. _Dapper._ Michonne was also done up in a fancy lime green cocktail dress that matched is dad's tie. He held on tight to Judy's little pudgy hands, while Enid perched on a stool directly behind him. Feeling his anxiety, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and rested her chin on his shoulder. The living room was packed with a number of friends and family, staring at them, some brimming with excitement ready to explode, others wearing quite confused but amused looks. Enid was right. It had to be good news.

"Carl," Andre hollered from across the living room as he made his way through the maze of people. Enid hopped off the stool and held Judith just as Andre approached and gave Carl a high five.

"You can't see from down there," Carl spoke to Andre as he allowed the little boy to climb onto his shoulders for a better view.

Michonne grabbed Rick's hand and they stood in the tiny foyer of her condo, facing everyone with bright smiles. Carl's heart rate quickened at their possessive gesture. Good news was sure to come from this.

"So," Michonne cleared her throat just as his dad's hand landed at the small of her back. "A good portion of you are aware but some of you are not. We asked all of you to come here tonight because we love you all very much and we wanted to share something very important and exciting with all of you."

"We're gettin' hitched," Rick hollered, unable to contain his joy. Michonne laughed, her head falling back onto his shoulder as she held up her hand, dazzling everyone with the stunning ring.

Swarms of applause, oohs and ahhs resounded throughout the condo but Carl only wanted to attend to one thing, make eye contact with his dad and Michonne amidst the sea of people. When Michonne found Carl beaming in the back, she waved him towards them. He eagerly made his way towards them, Andre, Judith and Enid along for the haul.

Immediately, Carl grabbed Michonne and hugged her tight. "I'm so excited," he whispered into her ear. "More than you know."

"That's all I wanted to hear," Michonne answered pulling away from him. "Sorry if we scared you at all. I just wanted it to be a big surprise."

"It was worth the scare," Carl stated with a broad grin across his face. "Mom."

"I love the sound of that," Michonne's radiant smile appeared before pulling Carl in for another hug. "Leave Andre and Judy with us. You and Enid, go and mingle. Have fun."

"No drinking though," Rick added as he picked up Andre, who enthusiastically tossed Rick a high five. "Hey bud! You excited?"

"Yeah," Andre returned just as enthusiastic as Rick.

Carl led Enid towards the kitchen bar, smiling from ear to ear at the news. She held onto his hand tight as they wove through the crowd. She leaned in towards him and wrapped an arm around his waist, her hair cascading over his shoulder. She'd been by his side for some time now and always there to give it to him straight, even when he didn't want to hear the truth. Appreciative of her, Carl stopped and peered into her eyes.

"What? Told you it was going to be good," she whispered as he pulled her closer to his body, hugging her tight.

"Yeah," Carl affirmed with a grin. "You did. You always know."

"Who's the best girlfriend on the planet," Enid asked pulling away and tapping her lips with her index finger.

Carl leaned in for a tiny peck before falling back, studying his girlfriend's face, thankful for her insight and patience with him. His dad had found love despite dire circumstances and so had he. "You are."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Aren't Michonne and Sloane the absolute cutest?! I totally envisioned Sloane to look like Lupita Nyong'o. Did any of you have anyone else in mind for Sloane? And how about that Carl? He loves his Michonne... and his Enid! I really enjoy writing that family dynamic. I can only hope that translates in my writing. Anyway, thanks again for reading. I'm so grateful for your readership!


	4. Something Borrowed, Something Blue

**_Michonne_**

"I hate this one too, Sloanie," Michonne snarled, assessing her body in the gathering of tulle and silk smothering her body. The current dress had three layers of petticoat. Three layers! What century was this dress from anyway? "Why all the fluff? This isn't my style. I don't want to look like Scarlett O'Hara or like I'm attending a black Debutante Ball. I'm not new to society."

"Then what do you want Michy," Sloane sighed, slumping back in her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked like she was about to start pouting. It wasn't Michonne's fault none of the dresses Sloane chose worked for her. They were _her_ style, not Michonne's. "And no need to get sassy. These are merely suggestions."

Ten dresses Michonne tried on and all ten were disasters and all kinds of wrong. None of them fit her fashion taste and she didn't like what parts of her body some of the dresses accentuated. They were all just awful. Who would have thought this part would have been this difficult. A dress was a dress was a dress… at least that's what Michonne initially thought.

Andrea returned after excusing herself to the restroom again. Either she really had to go or she opted to leave in order to stay out of the sibling's spat going on between Michonne and Sloane. If Michonne were a betting woman, she'd let it all ride on the latter. "So, has a decision been made?"

"NO," the two exclaimed in unison, their tones in harmonious aggravation.

"Maybe we should call it a day Mich," Andrea recommended, grabbing a hold of her handbag. "It's been a tiring three hours and you're obviously not in the mood."

"She's never going to be in the mood," Sloane jabbed, grabbing her now room temp mimosa and taking a long hard sip.

"Maybe it's not my mood. Maybe it's your tacky taste," Michonne argued.

"Now, now," Andrea intervened. "Let's leave before we all end up saying things we regret."

Sloane stood up and came to her sister's side, staring at the mountain of material surrounding Michonne, her eyes scanning, evaluating the dress that held her sister imprisoned. Michonne knew that Sloane was aware that the dress simply wasn't going to work for her. Sloane grew up with her. How did she not know that Michonne was going to hate all of these dresses? Michonne didn't know whether to feel hurt by these choices or if she needed to have Sloane committed for being mentally incapable. What was her little sister thinking with some of these gowns? Was she self projecting?

"Mich, I'm sorry. This is _your_ day not mine," Sloane apologized, tilting her head from side to side as she continued to assess Michonne's mirror image donning that fairytale, southern belle gown. Grabbing Michonne, Sloane drew her into a bear hug and whispered in her ear. "I just want your day to be perfect. You deserve a perfect day. I'll back off."

Drawing away, Michonne tilted her head to the side and studied her baby sister's face. "It's just been a lot here lately Slo-Jo. I know you mean well and it will be perfect. I just need us to pace this. It's all so overwhelming."

"Hug it out again," Andrea blurted with a laugh. Michonne reached out and grabbed her best friend with one hand and her baby sister with the other and yanked them into a group hug, the heap of fabric consuming all three of them. Together they would weather the wedding planning storm.

 ** _Rick_**

Tiptoeing down the hallway, Rick advanced towards his bedroom, sleep beckoning him for the night. He'd had a long day at work and just tucked Judy and Andre in for the evening, two books read to satisfy them both. Michonne decided she and Andre would spend the rest of the week with them; An attempt to ease their way into life with the Grimes and acclimate themselves in the house before they decided to shop for a larger home.

Having the two of them there in a more permanent manner brought Rick some sense of relief and stability. He didn't want to just come right out and tell Michonne he wanted them there so the fact that she proposed the idea and then acted on it was icing on the cake. He immediately went out and bought bunk beds and transformed Judith's room to accommodate her and Andre. He and Carl, cleared out half of his closet to receive Michonne's things, though he wasn't sure if that would be enough and they spent the past weekend helping Michonne purge from her condo, storing everything in the garage until after the wedding when they'd have a yard sale to get rid of all the stuff they'd all accumulated and no longer needed. Everything was moving along just as it should and Rick couldn't be more pleased.

Just as he rounded the corner to the bedroom, he saw the light pop on from the direction of the kitchen. Curiosity always getting the best of him, he switched his destination and found Michonne bent over, head first in the fridge, her silky nightgown inching up her thighs. What a sight to behold. She popped up, tossed her head back and sighed. Something was bothering her and he fully intended on getting to the bottom of her exasperation. Seeing her upset literally hurt his heart.

Strolling towards her, he closed the fridge and stood in front of her, his body leaning against the front of the large refrigerator. Immediately she fell into his chest and snuggled her head under his chin as his arms engulfed her body.

"What's the matter love," he breathed aloud, inhaling the lavender floating from her hair.

"I'm just," she began, wrapping her arms around his waist. He was sure she could hear his heart begin to beat faster as she spoke. That was his usual reaction to just hearing her voice. "I'm overwhelmed with all this wedding planning and I still haven't found a dress and I really want mint chocolate chip ice cream and there isn't any left or that cheesecake we got from Glenn's restaurant."

"I'll go out and get you a pint if you want," Rick offered, gentle hands rubbing the small of her back as she lay in his embrace. He loved the feel of her body in his arms. "And it's all going to work out. Or we can just go to Vegas and get married by an officiating Elvis impersonator."

A light giggle erupted as she gently shook in his embrace, eliciting the sweetest of smiles to splay across his mouth.

"No Vegas or Elvis please and yes to the mint chocolate chip ice cream," she answered, her eyes wide and doe like as she stared up at him. "I don't know if I deserve you."

"Oh, let's be real," he contended. "I'm the undeserving one. You've been my rock. These little gestures are the least I can do for you."

Standing on the tips of her toes, she drew his face towards hers, tongues finding each other amongst full lips and lust. His hands grabbed at the hem of her night gown and began to work the thin material up her body just as they heard the front door open. Carl made it home. He rounded the corner and stopped mid stride as he stared at his dad and Michonne.

"I'd say get a room but you two have one. Just use it and not the kitchen," Carl complained. "Disgusting." His words were muffled through a grin plastered on his face, causing more giggles to erupt from Michonne and Rick to turn beet red.

"Hey Carl! We're goin' out for some ice cream," Rick lightly called. "Judy and Dre are asleep. We won't be long."

"I guess that's alright but be in by curfew," Carl demanded, still grinning as he teased his dad and Michonne.

"Yes, sir," Michonne answered, grabbing the truck keys from the hook and walking towards the front door.

"What she said," Rick agreed and fell into step behind Michonne, like an eager teenager.

 ** _Michonne_**

"You told me you hated these," Michonne questioned as she lifted Rick's blue satin boxers and swung them around her index finger. She was in a playful mood. Ice cream and amazing sex usually had that effect on her. Sharing the pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream and chatting about the wedding and life lead to this moment. Rick stared at her with his shaded blue eyes, stars from the night sky reflecting in his irises, and her body flushed over. Damn that man caused such a chemical reaction deep within her with a simple look. It was terrifying and beautiful the power he had over her. Before she knew it, her night gown and underwear were relieved of their duties covering her up and she was in Rick's lap, enjoying a wave of passion as their bodies collided in the compact space of his truck. "I bought these for you last Christmas and you told me you would never wear them and yet, here you are."

"I hadn't done laundry in about two weeks. I didn't have a choice. They were a last resort," Rick supplied, rubbing his large, coarse palms along Michonne's lean, bare thighs. She loved his hard, rough hands roaming over her body. Moonlight washed over Michonne through the windshield of Rick's pick up, her silhouette cast over, shading Rick as she remained straddling his naked form, her thighs aching from clutching his body so tight as she rode him in the fixed front seat of the cab. Twice the horn honked and she just knew some nosey neighbor would come out to investigate but she really didn't care. Rick was the law after all. How much trouble could they get into for indecent public exposure?

"Hmm," she sighed, staring at the boxers in her hand. "Can I have them back?"

"For what," Rick asked confused. "You can't take 'em back to the store. I've worn 'em."

"I want them for my something blue," Michonne informed with a slight chuckle.

"You're gonna wear my boxers under your dress," Rick questioned, deep creases embedded in his forehead now. He was really confused but that didn't stop him from peppering her collarbone with kisses and light licks.

"I'm going to have them altered into some cute little bloomers," Michonne explained. "What do you think?"

"I think that's a good way for me to get rid of 'em permanently," Rick laughed, groping and kneading Michonne's rear, his teeth capturing her earlobe. "And it's a creative something blue. Different."

"Then I'll keep them and have them altered this weekend," Michonne smiled as Rick's hands traveled to her waist, then her stomach and cupped her supple breasts.

"You ready for round three," Rick queried, bringing his mouth towards her chin, the stubble from his beard prickling the soft skin between her breasts. She could feel his growing excitement against her thigh as she lifted her body up and settled onto him once more, her eyes intently peering into his as their bodies melded into one, his name drowning in the abyss of his mouth as she released it into the dark.

 ** _Hershel_**

Officiating a wedding was something Hershel hadn't done in years but he was more than happy to oblige when Rick had called him up, asking if he was still in the business of marrying folks. The query brought Hershel a certain level of joy. Hershel met Rick through a grief counselor that sent Rick to farming therapy. Begrudgingly, Hershel accommodated, unaware that life had plans of placing that young man on his path to mentor. Rick and Hershel became great friends after their first encounter and often Rick would call on Hershel and pick his brain about life and the such, as Hershel had lost his wife to a terminal illness a few years before Rick's loss. Before long, Rick would just drop by the farm and help in the stables or ask Hershel questions about growing vegetables in his small backyard garden. Often the questions would transition into thoughts on faith and God and people. And every time Hershel was there to offer a kind word or advice to the young man trying to find his way in this life without his wife.

After a year had passed, Rick brought along his new friend, Michonne, to introduce her to Hershel, show her the farm and asked if Hershel would mind running through the horse therapy session with her. She was eager to learn and get it right. And she was a natural with the horses, immediately impressing Hershel and from the looks of it Rick as well. Shortly after that first encounter, Rick had a candid conversation about dating after losing a spouse with Hershel. A part of Rick was guilty at first but Hershel reassured him that life needed to go on. His life needed to go on and if Michonne made him happy, then all the more to move on with her. It wasn't a coincidence that they'd found each other and both suffered similar tragedies of losing their spouses. Fate, it seemed, had brought them towards one another and they really shouldn't fight it but accept it and see where this road would lead them. Now, three years later and they were on their way to marital bliss and Hershel was proud that he would be a part of their special day. What a gift to be the one to help bring two people in love together despite where they'd both come from.

Making his way inside his son-in-law's restaurant, Hershel took a seat near the kitchen, awaiting the arrival of Rick and Michonne. Maggie, his daughter, emerged from the back, toting his grandson on her hip.

"Oh," Hershel exclaimed, his voice just as jolly as can be. "Look at my grand-son."

Baby Hershel cooed and giggled as his grandfather scooped him up and bounced him up and down in his lap. "Gettin' too big for Pop Pop, now Hershey." Hershel had nicknamed the baby Hershey like the candy because his eyes were chocolate brown like his dad's. It was a way to distinguish him from the baby as well, since Maggie and Glenn insisted on naming the baby after him.

"He's got two teeth now daddy," Maggie beamed like all new mother's when their child hit a milestone. "And we've just discovered he loves chick peas."

"That's an unusual veggie to like Hershey," Hershel stated, allowing the baby to dance upon his lap. "He's so strong Maggie. I bet he'll be walking around nine months like you."

"Hey," Maggie blurted, her attention being drawn away from her father and son. She stood up from where she was stooped and made her way towards Rick and Michonne, hugging her dear friend as they came closer. "So happy daddy's gonna marry y'all."

"We are too," Michonne agreed, waiting on Hershel to come to his feet. He passed the baby to Maggie and embraced Michonne then Rick before taking his seat again.

"Glad you two are here," Hershel offered with a smile. They really were a good looking couple. He could see the mutual attraction between the two of them. "So Rick, you mentioned a favor over the phone. What can I do to make your day even better?"

"Well, Hershel, we thought the farm would be the perfect place for the wedding. I understand it's your home but this place is so significant for Michonne and me. We both experienced some healing from working with you and the horses. It's unique to us and we'd love for the farm to be a part of our ceremony. What do you think about us getting married here and hosting the reception in the barn?"

"That's quite some idea and a lot to ask," Hershel explained, really contemplating the request. Michonne's eyes shaded over a bit in disappointment. But really how could he say no to these two. They deserved all that their hearts desired. "And I'll be happy to host but I have one request."

"What's that," Michonne blurted aloud in her excitement. "Anything."

"Well," Hershel began. "Two things. You two don't let this wedding stress you out and I must have giant pieces of both the main wedding and groom's cakes."

"We'll have an entire cake made just for you if you want," Michonne extended, clasping her hands together in utter elation, Hershel presumed.

"And we insist on paying you for the space just like we'd do any other venue," Rick added. "That's non-negotiable. We appreciate all that you've done for us Hershel."

"I appreciate you two," Hershel returned, coming onto his feet once more. "Now come on back here and ooh and ahh at my little Hershey. Y'all want more kids?"

"Yes," they answered in rapid accord, a light laugh spilling from their mouths at the quickness of their response, the verbal act causing Hershel to chuckle himself.

"Well, then," he commanded. "Come on back here and put those daddy skills to work Rick. I think Hershey's got a full diaper waiting just for you."

 ** _Michonne_**

Rolling up the windows, she stepped out of her car and trekked across the sidewalk and onto the stone walkway to her childhood home. Colorful blooms of roses and hyacinths assaulted Michonne visually before their beautiful bouquet met her nose. Her mother was proud of her flourishing garden and enjoyed it daily, constantly nurturing and talking to the plants. It aided in proper growth, her mother had explained one of the many times Michonne found what appeared to be her mom speaking to herself. She laughed as that day came back to her.

Using her key, Michonne made her way into the house, dropped her purse and keys on the console table like she'd done thousands of times before and called out into the quiet home. It took some getting used to; the stillness of the house she grew up in. There was always something or someone parading around. Lively, full of love and thriving would be words Michonne used to describe her parent's house. But now, it was eerily tranquil, especially now that her father dwelled there no longer.

"'Chonne," her mother called back, emerging from the back room. Michonne's old bedroom. "Is that you baby?"

"Yes ma'am," Michonne answered, walking towards her mother. She embraced her with a squeeze, as her mother patted and rubbed her back. Her mother was a beauty, even at sixty-five. They shared the same eyes, nose and figure and that was about it. Her mother's personality was much more gregarious and playful like Sloane and she was the epitome of type A as well. If you were to Google type A personalities, Michonne was sure a portrait of her mother would accompany any information on the personality type.

"What brings you here, darling," Violet asked, grabbing her eldest daughter's hand and leading her towards the kitchen. "I made sweet sun tea."

"Ooh! Yes please," Michonne nodded in delight. Her mom's tea was the best.

The two took seats at the breakfast nook and drank in the peace of each other's presence. Sometimes just being around her mom was enough solace. She didn't know how strong one could be until she saw her mom navigate through the illness and passing of her father. Her mother's example was what kept her going after Mike's tragic and sudden death.

"You alright," her mom spoke, breaking into her thoughts.

"Yeah," Michonne supplied, sipping her tea. "Still haven't found _the_ dress."

"Hmm," her mother hummed, staring at her daughter. "Hold that thought baby girl."

Springing from where she sat, Violet disappeared briefly and returned with a black garment bag. "I know you've seen pictures but my wedding dress was my mom's dress and I intended on passing it along to you but you chose that strapless number." Her mother looked at her under eyed over the tops of her glasses, a sly smile creeping over her mouth. Zipping the bag open, she pulled out the vintage wedding dress. It was mint and in superb condition, almost new. Lacy and intricately embroidered beads ornately placed at the collar shined, light reflecting off of crystals and glittered jewels. It was a halter style, form fitting dress with a mermaid train. It was stunning. And way ahead of its time

"Go on," her mother commanded. "Try it on."

Michonne picked up the dress with delicate hands and made her way to the hallway bathroom. Within minutes she surfaced, practically glowing in utter felicity. It was absolutely sublime. She couldn't believe she passed on this dress her first time around. Maybe because it was meant for this very occasion, predestined from the beginning.

"I don't know if I ever told you but your father cried as soon as he saw me come through the chapel doors, starting down that aisle."

"No, you never told me that," Michonne sniffled at the thought.

"Michy," soothed. "Don't cry baby girl. I didn't mean to bring up daddy for you to tear up. I know how close you two were and I know you miss him. Just try to find some comfort in knowing he's not suffering and he's probably rejoicing and celebrating with us from heaven. I find a lot of peace in that."

"I just wish he was here... in the flesh. I think about him everyday," Michonne sighed, her mother wiping her tears away. "He would have loved Rick."

"I think so too," Violet agreed, taking her daughter's hands into her own and lightly squeezing them. "Now, turn around for me. Model the dress."

Michonne did as she was told, slowly moving in a circle for her mother to view the dress on her at all angles.

"You can have it altered in any way you want," Violet offered, examining the dress on her daughter. "I had that mermaid train added on.

"Absolutely not," Michonne remarked,making her way to the full length mirror in the formal living room. "It's impeccable as it is. I mean… how is it possible that the fit is so perfect?"

"You inherited my shape, which I inherited from my mother. Child birth didn't have much of an effect on any of us," her mother explained, coming to her daughter's side.

Michonne turned to her mother, a single tear trailing down her cheek. "Thank you mama."

"Just keep the tradition going," her mother ordered, wiping her daughter's face with the tips of her fingers once more. "Keep it safe for your sister or maybe you and Rick will give me a grand-daughter. You never know."

"You sound like him," Michonne laughed, her hands covering her face.

"I always knew I liked Rick for reasons other than his good looks," her mother chuckled. "Now, let's put this beauty up for the big day."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Rick and Michonne having vehicular sexy times! *blushes* Though short, that was a lot of fun to write. And I miss Hershel something fierce. I couldn't not have him in this story. Michonne and her mommy were a lot of fun to write too. I appreciate your continued support. Let me know your thoughts on the fic so far. I'd really love to know.


	5. Let Them Eat Cake

_**Rick**_

"Tee up, bitch," Daryl hollered at Shane after hitting a hole in one.

Clear skies and brilliant sunshine welcomed them as they roamed the golf course. Rick dropped his shades to stop from squinting, his bright blue eyes affected by the blinding rays. Plus he wanted to hide his amusement as Daryl and Shane started their bantering. Every other Saturday they gathered on the putting green and every other Saturday the brewing bromance between Daryl and Shane blossomed. Their constant mockery surfaced in the form of hate but the two really would do anything for each other when it came down to it. Glenn chuckled and came to stand next to Rick, his arms crossed over his chest, shaking his head.

"You still won't beat my score Dixon," Shane joked back. "That shit shot was pure luck. And your form was all over the damn place."

"Fellas," Rick intervened, walking to stand next to Daryl. He may have known Shane a long time but he hit it off rather seamlessly with Daryl. They met after Rick booked a juvenile he'd arrested for robbing a convenience store. Daryl was appointed the young man's probation officer. He had a way with youths, perhaps his very puerile nature drew them in. Or the fact that he could relate, being a product of street living himself. He was a bit rough around the edges but the guy had a heart of gold. If he was for you, nothing would stop him from supporting you hardcore, through and through. He was loyal to a fault, one of the same qualities Rick also possessed. It's probably why they hit it off as easily and quickly as they did. "As fun as it is for me to watch you two argue, we need to wrap this up. I gotta meet 'Chonne in about an hour. Might have to leave y'all."

"Maggie filled me in on all the wedding stuff," Glenn stated as he keenly watched Shane getting ready. Shane was actually a really good golfer, to the point that Glenn would study his movements like he was recording. The slight competitor in him, wanted to take in all of Shane's mechanics so he could engineer a way to one day beat him. "Looks like everything is coming along alright?"

"Yeah," Rick replied, growing bored. "I think it's going alright. Michonne hasn't complained too much. I stay out of it until she asks me my opinion."

"What y'all got goin' on," Shane asked, leaning over to place the tiny ball on the plastic tee. "Andrea's with Sloane right now."

"Sloane," Daryl allowed the name to ease off his tongue. "She's that hot little number, right? Michonne's gorgeous little sister? The one I met at that cookout y'all had last year?"

"Yeah," Rick answered, eyeing Daryl. He'd mentioned Sloane a dozen times before. Why the sudden interest from Daryl? "Why? You interested?"

"Maybe," Daryl smiled. "We talked almost the entire night at that cookout. She got a dude?"

"Yeah, she's seeing someone," Rick offered. "A real non committal type guy. She's been with him for a while but maybe I can arrange something."

"She ain't gonna like that mop head," Shane teased Daryl. "What's your username on LonelyHearts dot com: _ForeverLonely42_?"

Shane cackled and fell to the putting green all dramatic like, grasping his stomach in hysterical pain. Rick could admit the joke was funny but Shane was being so over the top right now. Either that or Rick was just really irritated and ready to see his woman, the latter being the over powering reason.

"And didn't your hillbilly ass bring a turtle to the cookout," Shane added insult to Daryl's already damaged ego.

"Yeah he did," Glenn blurted out, laughing aloud. "What grown man has a pet turtle?"

"And who names it Anthony," Rick contributed, chuckling a bit himself.

Daryl shot Shane the bird before hollering, "Kiss my ass. All of y'all. I brought the turtle for the kids."

"Whatever! To answer your question, Shane… We're tasting cake," Rick changed the subject, muttering that last bit, awaiting the onslaught of teasing and insults to come his way.

"What was that now," Shane yelled. His brow furrowed, confused. "I didn't quite catch that."

"We're taste testing cake," Rick spoke aloud, confidently. He didn't give a damn about them teasing him. He was spending his evening eating cake with the hottest woman on the planet. They could say whatever they wanted about them eating cake and Rick could easily counter with _I get to eat cake and sleep with Michonne_ , a valid reason if he ever had one.

"She got you tasting cakes and shit now," Shane queried, edging his driver towards the ball. "What's the difference? Cake is cake is cake, right?"

"No," Rick, Glenn and Daryl answered in unison.

"Well, damn! Excuse the hell outta me for not being a cake connoisseur," Shane exclaimed before curling the club over his right shoulder. "And what you know about cake Dixon?"

"I know that your mom makes a killer pineapple upside down cake," Daryl laughed, patting Rick on the shoulder. "I ate that good shit after I ate-"

"Don't you even go there you backwoods ass bastard," Shane pointed the club at Daryl without looking his way, his eyes tracking the hit ball. "You leave Noreen LeAnne Walsh out ya mouth, ok."

Rick doubled over in laughter, clutching his stomach. "Your mom is a solid nine for a seventy year old woman, Shane."

"Don't hate on dem good genes," Shane smiled, placing his club back in his bag. "That's why I'm so pretty."

"I can't believe Andrea is still with you," Glenn shook his head in disbelief. "You _actually_ think you're the catch in that relationship."

"Because I am," Shane confessed without a qualm, his shoulders shrugging off the obvious, at least that was the case in his mind, Rick thought. Shane was probably the vainest human being ever to roam the face of the earth. The man thought he was God's gift to the entire world.

"Man," Daryl started, placing his clubs on the cart. It was time for them to move to the next hole. "Let me get a woman like Andrea."

"Username _CatLover45_ , you don't have the game to pull a chick like Andy," Shane offered, hopping in the golf cart.

"Speaking of," Rick said eyeing Daryl. "You comin' by yourself to the wedding? You haven't RSVP'd yet."

"Why are y'all in my business," Daryl defended. "I got a date."

"Who," Rick, Glenn and Shane asked at the same time, their voices loud.

"Username: _ITookMyCousinToProm73_ ," Shane started, laughing at his own joke. "You know you ain't bringin' nobody to the wedding."

"You'll see," Daryl laughed, hopping into the cart, Rick and Shane following suit.

"You've been single since your past life," Shane continued.

"Not entirely true," Rick confessed, just as Daryl nudged him in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah. Sa-." Glenn stopped before the name fell from his mouth, as Daryl shot him a look of death from the other golf cart. Rick looked at Glenn who thought better of it. Death wasn't an option when he had a wife and new baby boy at home relying on him solely to support the family. A song replaced his slip. "Sarah… smile. A wontcha smile a while for me."

"What are y'all talking about? Who the hell is Sarah," Shane asked, whipping his head towards Rick, noticing the subsequent jab from Daryl. He turned towards Glenn in their cart. "Who the fuck is Sarah?"

"Ain't no damn Sarah and it's none ya business, bitch," Daryl snapped.

"Imma find out," Shane countered. "And I got ya bitch. Glenn, I didn't know you could sing?"

"Go ahead and head back towards the parking lot. I gotta get goin'," Rick supplied, interrupting the argument and holding on for dear life as Daryl navigated, driving the cart as erratically as he did his own vehicle. As much fun as it was hanging with his friends, he couldn't wait to see Michonne. She'd welcome him with that warm smile of hers that melted his heart. Perfect. That's what his baby was and he'd be in her presence in a few short minutes.

 ** _Michonne_**

Sweet cinnamon and vanilla swirled in the air as Michonne entered the bakery, inhaling the delicious sweet aroma. She could taste the flavors dancing on her tongue already. Sugar was one of her weaknesses. She never turned down a treat, thus the reason for her regular, often oppressive work outs. It was worth it in her book though.

Closing her eyes, she stood still basking in the fragrant saccharine infused space. She loved visiting Carol's bakery, _Sophia's_ , named after her friend's daughter. The bakery was ranked the top bake shop in the greater Atlanta area for the past two years and Carol, being the competitive woman that she was, was not willing to allow anyone else to take that title from her. Owning a bakery had been a dream of Carol's for years but life and other unfortunate events had prevented her from following that desire. It wasn't until Carol found the courage to escape her abusive ex-husband Ed that she decided to finally live her life. After her last time with broken ribs and a busted lip, she packed up her car, her daughter and moved in with her mother, never looking back. She contacted Michonne's law firm, got her a good divorce lawyer and hadn't looked back in her past since. Michonne was proud of her friend. Leaving abusive situations is terrifying for many women but Carol was courageous enough to do so, not just for herself but for her daughter. Who would want their daughter to grow up thinking it was okay for men to beat the living daylights out of women? Thankfully, Sophia was shielded from much of Ed's violence and cruelty and was never on the receiving end.

"Mom," Sophia yelled, walking through the swinging door leading to the kitchen. "Michonne's here."

"Can you holler louder please," Duane, Sophia's step-brother, voiced as he appeared from the kitchen. "The dogs across the street at that shelter couldn't hear you Soph."

"Shut up D," Sophia yelped, shoving Duane as he came close, though her efforts were in vain, his body was solid and immovable.

"Hey Michonne," Duane acknowledged, ignoring Sophia and reaching in the display case for a cake pop. He tossed the treat in its entirety into his mouth, chewed twice, Michonne assumed and swallowed hard. "How's Carl? We miss him on the baseball team."

"He's great," Michonne answered, moving towards the display, her eyes peering down into the glowing case. It was like a halo surrounded the heavenly delectable treats.

"There's a Big Cat cake pop in there," Duane coaxed, reaching inside to retrieve one. "Carl always talked about your Big Cat obsession. Carol came up with it about a month ago. They are da bomb."

"Oh, no," Michonne grimaced. "I really shouldn't since Rick and I are tasting a bunch of cake tonight."

"Duane," Carol politely called as she appeared donning an apron shaped like an upside down cupcake. "I told you to stay out of the cake pops young man."

"He was offering one to Michonne because she likes Big Cats," Sophia defended. As much as she and Duane argued, they really looked out for each other. Whenever either one of them was in a jam, the other was always there to help or pick up the pieces. It was as if they grew up together and were siblings all their lives.

Carol removed her apron and walked up to her teenagers, kissing both on their foreheads. She pulled the keys from her pocket and tossed them to Duane. "Your turn to drive home. Your dad and I will be following behind you guys shortly."

"Oh, you're not staying," Michonne asked, curious at what they were doing if Carol wasn't there to assist with the tasting.

"I've got a nice little private set up in the kitchen for the two of you," Carol winked, a tight little devious grin spreading across her face. "Just leave your feedback on the cards and let me handle the rest."

Jingles resounded throughout the lobby of the bakery, diverting everyone's attention. It was Rick, rushing through. He was only a little late but Michonne knew he'd be bothered by that fact. He hated being late, especially for things regarding the wedding. He wanted to be as present and involved as she wanted him to be. If he thought it was important to her, he made it a priority. So loving and thoughtful her future husband was.

"Hey," Rick approached them quickly and kissed Michonne's cheek before greeting everyone else. "Carol, it smells amazing in here. How are y'all not fat?"

"Surprisingly, you get tired of cake after a while when it's all you're dealing with."

"Duane," Rick acknowledged. "You've grown at least a foot since the last time I saw you… last week."

Duane grinned before leaning in to shake Rick's hand.

"And Sophia," Rick began. "Just as pretty as you were when I first met you."

"You say that every time you see me Mr. Grimes," Sophia smiled wide, her face growing pink. She was always so bashful.

"Rick," a familiar voice boomed from behind them. "Good to see ya man."

"Morgan," Rick spun around and hugged his friend. "We missed you at golf today."

"Shane and Daryl fought the entire time," Morgan queried walking towards his wife. He pecked Carol on the cheek and immediately went behind the case to grab a peanut butter cup cupcake. "You finally making an honest woman outta Michonne, I see."

"Yep," Rick beamed. Just seeing him so excited and happy about marrying her made Michonne's eyes water. She loved that man so much and he loved her back just as hard.

"We're gonna head to the house," Duane announced, jiggling the keys in his hand. "See you at home dad."

"See ya mom," Sophia offered with a little wave, the color still fading from her freckled cheeks. She followed behind Duane and he opened the door for her before they went along.

"Carl's driving, right," Morgan asked. "Scares me every time they hit the road."

"Duane's a good driver," Carol consoled, wrapping an arm around Morgan's waist. "So cautious. Sophia's the one that scares me. She's just so timid about everything."

"Well," Morgan began, swallowing the rest of the cupcake, not once savoring it. Michonne didn't understand how people plowed down food without the pleasure of relishing in the flavors and textures. She loved food more than she probably should. "Let's get goin' baby. I think we can catch up and trail the kids home."

"Don't do that Morgan," Carol frowned. "They need to know that we trust them and they're good kids. Haven't given us a reason not to."

"You're right," Morgan said, pecking Carol's cheek. "Y'all enjoy that spread Carol got back there for ya."

"Michonne, here's the key to lock up. The code is Soph's birth month, then Duane's birth day," Carol instructed with a big grin. "Have fun love birds."

 ** _Rick_**

Reaching out to open the door to the kitchen, Rick allowed Michonne entrance before him and followed closely behind her. She smelled like a warm summer's day wrapped in almond and honey. He didn't know how she managed to always smell so divine but damn was he grateful. To be assaulted by such scents daily was something he couldn't wait to receive. What a gift.

Reluctant to remove his eyes from his love, Rick suddenly stopped as Michonne halted in front of him, an easy gasp escaping from her. He peered over her shoulder to a long table adorned with seven tiny mock up wedding cakes, candles, silver and gold confetti and chilled Champagne. In front of every one of them were tented cards explaining the ingredients and inspiration for each. A handwritten letter from Carol sat on the far left corner of the table. Michonne walked over and picked up the letter, her hand instinctively travelling towards her heart as her glistening eyes scanned over the note. She was nearly in tears as she finished reading and passed the note to Rick.

"I'm happy we're finally getting our happy ending too," Rick declared after reading the note, pulling Michonne into his arms, encircling her with all the love he had within him. He kissed the top of her head before pulling away. "We deserve this and each other. I believe that with my whole heart. We've been through it baby."

" _Through the fire but we've come out gleaming like gold_ ," Michonne repeated Carol's words. She wrote how inspiring Michonne and Rick were as individuals with them lending their time and talents to always providing a helping hand, often foregoing their own comfort and needs to assist those around them who are hurting despite what they both endured losing loved ones so sudden and tragically. That was a part of their character and they were loved and revered for those qualities. The beauty is that they never expected anything in return. Their love and devotion to their friends and family was more than enough reward. Getting this star treatment for their union was literally the icing on the cake.

"So, let's get to tastin' these cakes," Rick suggested, leading Michonne back towards the table, his hand protectively splayed at the small of her back.

"I've been waiting for this all day," her radiant smile flooded his heart. She was so excited which made him even more thrilled about tasting cake along with her. She cut into the first cake, lemon covered in a from scratch citrus zest fondant. Picking up the slice, she poised it before Rick, a wily grin surfacing upon her lips.

"Don't you even try it 'Chonne," Rick warned. "I _will_ get you back."

She bit her bottom lip, contemplating her next move Rick presumed. Suddenly a piece of the cake entered her mouth and she moaned as she savored the sweet, fluffy cake. That moan almost rivaled her moans when she was with him. It must have been delicious. "That is celestial. I mean, just. The best thing I've ever had in my mouth."

"What about me," Rick asked, hurt by her comment.

"Really, Rick," she asked, her eyes wide open now only to be rolled in faux annoyance. "You're jealous of the cake?"

"I'm the only sweet thing you need in your mouth," he said before wrapping his arms around her, his hands resting upon her rear as he steered her body closer to his. Leaning forward, he captured her lips in his mouth, tasting the sweet and tart remnants of cake. "Oh my goodness, that is unbelievably good."

"I told you," Michonne snickered, setting the rest of the piece she just bit from in front of Rick for him to devour. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth wide and Michonne seized the opportunity to smash the cake all over his face.

"Michonne," he spluttered, cake and fondant icing flying everywhere surrounding them. "I'm so gonna get you back woman."

"You threatening me," Michonne teased, her voice light and playful. Before she could say another word, Rick tossed her over his shoulder and she shrieked in utter shock, the sound causing him to chuckle.

One hand holding her in place over his shoulder, Rick grabbed a fist full of the closest cake to him, some chocolate number, with his free hand and held it out like he was carrying a serving tray. "You want chocolate cake all over that nice ass of yours?"

"Rick! Oh my gosh! Please don't. This is a _Givenchy_ dress," Michonne implored, now flailing around a bit.

"You shoulda thought of that before you smeared that cake in my face," he taunted. "You want down?"

"Yes please. Baby, I'm so sorry. Please don't ruin my dress," Michonne apologized. "I'm down for whatever you want to do tonight. WHATEVER YOU WANT! Just please don't put chocolate cake on my dress."

" _Anything_ I want tonight," Rick bargained, really contemplating her plea. He'd been in a pretty kinky mood here lately and her ass was looking down right delectable this evening.

"Anything," she repeated, as his grip eased up allowing her to slide down the front of his body. Her feet landed and she began to pick away the icing and cake stuck in Rick's beard.

"Sex… in the backyard," Rick asked, placing the chocolate piece back on the table.

"Oh my goodness," Michonne whined. "Mrs. Banks is going to call the cops on us. She's always peeking over the fence with her old, weird, voyeur ass."

"But you said _anything_ ," Rick contended. "And I want the neighbors to hear you screaming my name. You know how loud you can get."

"This is cruel," Michonne stated with a shake of her head. "Are you trying to embarrass me?"

"I'm just trying to make myself look good for the neighbors," Rick teased. "Let them know I'm treating my baby right."

"You are so dirty," Michonne crossed her arms over her chest in protest.

"Chocolate on your ass or lawn chair sex," Rick offered up. "Those are your options."

"Why can't cake in my face be an option," Michonne argued. "Somehow, I don't feel like we're on even ground here."

"You're the one that said _anything_ ," Rick reiterated.

"Fine," Michonne caved. "Lawn chair sex it is."

"Wow," Rick's eyes grew wide at her decision. "You must really love that dress."

"Shut up and eat the cake," she said, a sly smile spreading across her face. "I hate that I can't stay mad at you."

"Tell you what," Rick whispered, moving in closer so that his lips were inches from Michonne's ear, his voice now soft and low. "You can muffle your moans and cries into my shoulders when I hit that sweet spot."

Michonne sighed before coming up onto the tips of her toes, her mouth capturing Rick's, her tongue diving into the depths of his mouth. She pulled away, dreamy, darkened eyes bearing into his soul. Her teeth clamped down on her bottom lip as her hands raked across his chest. "I'll let you have this one Grimes. Just make sure you service the shit out of my spot and I'll make sure the neighbors get a show."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The bromance between Shane and Daryl was a BLAST to write! Oh my gosh... I could write them forever! Be honest, Carol and Morgan or nah? I can see it but to each his own! And more sexy times on the horizon for Richonne... though, I have to admit there's no more mention of back yard sexy times! Sorry! :( Huge hugs to all who've ventured in reading this tale. I'm beyond thankful! If you'd like, you can drop me a little comment to let me know how you feel about the story thus far... hint, hint! :)


	6. Singled Out(ings)

**_Michonne_**

Weeks had passed and everything seemed to be in order. In the words of Sloane, everything had its place and if it didn't, she'd find one for it. The food and drink selections for the reception were finalized. Carol made the most beautiful and French vanilla and dutch chocolate swirl wedding cake. Everyone was pleased with their wedding party attire and the venue was being prepared at this very moment. Awe struck by the thought, Michonne shook her head in disbelief that in less than twenty-four hours she would be Mrs. Richard Grimes. All the preparations, all the meltdowns, the arguments that she shared with Sloane, the battle of the perfect bridesmaid's dress and shoes, the food selections, everything was worth it.

Michonne plopped down on the plush sofa in her condo. It and a few boxes were the only things that remained. Her eyes gazed through the large sliding glass door that overlooked downtown Atlanta. She'd miss her little plush and trendy condo but she was ready to move on and settle in a home with Rick and the children. More than ready. Just as her eyes drifted closed, her thoughts meandered into a daydream of her and Rick having a water balloon fight with the kids in a huge backyard, her doorbell rang. Sasha was there to pick her up for her bachelorette activities. _Activities._ Michonne had no idea what these "activities" entailed. She just knew that she was adamant that no strippers were involved. _I only want to see one man strip and his name is Richard Dean Grimes_ , she spoke one night over drinks with Sloane, Maggie, Sasha, Carol and Andrea, her words slow and deliberate so they got the point.

Opening the door, she was greeted by Sasha who wore the biggest Cheshire Cat grin. Devious. Mysterious. What was she up to?

"Sasha," Michonne threw her index finger in the air towards her friend. "Wipe that smile off your face. Y'all better not have strippers. I will have all of your asses."

"Girl," Sasha dismissed Michonne with a wave her her hand and walked passed her, entering the condo. "Ain't nobody got strippers. But we are going to have fun tonight."

"What's planned," Michonne demanded, her hands resting on her hips.

"You can try it but this is Fort Knox baby," Sasha scoffed, pointing at herself.

"That's why they sent you," Michonne stated, shaking her head.

"You can wait and find out when we get there." She moved around the condo, her eyes scanning the empty space. "Wow. It's much bigger in here than I thought."

"Yeah," Michonne sighed. "I'm going to miss it but I'm ready to move on. So where are we going?"

"You need to wear this," Sasha began reaching into her oversized purse pulling out a blindfold.

"Really," Michonne questioned in protest.

"You're putting it on… now," Sasha stepped behind her and draped the black cloth over Michonne's head, securing it in place with a tight knot. "And we're leaving."

"Don't forget to lock the door," Michonne yelled, her hands instinctively extended in front of her feeling for something solid to lean on or at least touch.

"Locked and loaded," Sasha answered, grabbing a hold of Michonne's arm leading her out of the condo. "Now let me guide you. This is going to be so much fun!"

 ** _Rick_**

"If I have to ask you all one more time," Rick growled, his agitation growing by the minute. "Take this damn blindfold off me."

"What you gon' do," Shane teased, a chuckle spilling after he spoke. "Not a damn thang."

"Where are we going? How much longer is it gonna take? If there are strippers I'm taking everybody in this limousine out," Rick rushed out in one breath, struggling to free his hands from the zip ties. "Crazy bastards."

"Calm down gramps," Daryl snickered.

"Gramps," Shane questioned. Rick could hear the ridicule in his tone. He was about to lay into Daryl. "What in the hell? How does what he said warrant calling him gramps?"

"He's actin' old," Daryl defended himself. "Who doesn't want strippers at their bachelor party?"

"Someone with a hot soon to be wife," Rick answered, still struggling to free his hands from the zip ties. "I hate everyone right now. The lot of you."

"I didn't do anything," Morgan commented.

"You're in here not helping me get out of this situation, so I hate you too Morgan," Rick continued his mean spirited banter.

"You're going to cut your wrist, dumbass," Glenn spoke, taking a sip of his beer.

"Don't be all jovial and cute because Maggie finally let your ass outta the house," Rick spewed. "Four months in captivity will make a son of a bitch act out."

Shane cackled in delight. This was the Rick Shane loved. Slightly tipsy and dramatic as fuck. The sad part was that Rick was fully aware of his other persona when he was upset and drinking. He didn't particularly like _him_ but _he_ helped Rick out of many bad situations growing up.

"I don't think you want none of out of control, marginally inebriated Rick Grimes," Shane warned, still chuckling. "He's a mother fucker. I should know. I've had to drag this dude out of many, many fights."

The limo came to a halt and Shane pulled the blindfold off of Rick's eyes. "Welcome to _Paradise_ , my friend."

"Son of a bitch," Rick sighed, shaking his head in disbelief.

 ** _Michonne_**

The car ride was a bit longer than she expected but fun nonetheless. She and Sasha sang along to Motown classics all the way. Michonne couldn't carry a tune, so Sasha handled most of the leads while she backed her up. Sasha actually had a beautiful singing voice, though she didn't really think so. The car slowed down in speed and came to a stop.

"You ready," Sasha asked. Michonne could hear the smile forming over Sasha's mouth.

"Yes," Michonne answered, her stomach turning a bit with excited nerves. She wondered what they had in store for her. Fingers slipped under the blind fold, removing it from around her head, as Michonne's eyes fluttered open, her eyes adjusting to the setting sunlight. On the porch of Rick's house were all of her friends and sister posing like teenagers and donning pajamas and pigtails.

"Surprise," Sasha hollered wrapping her arms around Michonne's shoulders. "It's a _slumberette_ party bish!"

Michonne's shock eased into the biggest smile as she hopped out of the car and made her way towards the house. Her eyes started to water and her bottom lip began to tremble. "I hate all of you and yet I love you all the same. This is so creative."

"It was my idea," Sloane bragged, immediately raising her hand to take credit. "All me big sis. All me."

"You always did love a slumber party," Andrea added coming to hug her best friend. "When Sloane came to me with the idea, I knew that was it."

Maggie came to her side and gave her a tight side hug. "Now, we've got lots of pj options and you have to have pigtails. It's not a slumber party without pigtails."

"And I brought the vodka to spike the punch," Tara whispered but held the bottle of Ciroc high in the air.

"You brought the really good shit," Michonne noticed, her eyes growing wide. They all made their way inside to get Michonne changed and settled.

"So," Michonne asked as she emerged from the bedroom in silk pj's and dread-tails. "What's on the agenda?"

"Well, we'll watch a chick flick," Denise offered.

"A game of truth or dare," Beth stated, plopping down on the floor in front of Maggie who took down one of her sister's pigtails and started to French braid it.

"A pillow fight, a dance party and later we're going to t.p. Mrs. Banks' house," Andrea stated, pouring herself a cup of punch. "Is this spiked yet?"

"Not yet," Tara sang, slamming back a shot of the vodka before pouring the rest into the punch bowl. "Whoo! That is some smooth shit.

"Ooh! Mrs. Banks… that woman is evil," Michonne confessed. "I can't wait to mess her yard up."

 ** _Rick_**

Somehow he managed to get away from the booth just as the stripper sauntered towards his friends. He had to get the hell up out of there. He told those knuckleheads he didn't want any parts of this shit but no. Those bastards wanted it for themselves and Rick was their excuse. He had to find a way out of there and fast. As soon as he hit the bathroom door, Michonne's face materialized in his mind and suddenly he had his answer.

"My baby'll get me outta here," he spoke aloud to himself, his speech slurred a bit. Great. Now the alcohol was affecting his motor skills. "Get it together Grimes."

Continuous ringing coursed through his ear canal as he held the phone tight to his ear. She had to answer the phone. He was desperate. No answer.

"Son of bit-," Rick grunted before pushing the redial button on his phone. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon. Baby. Pick up 'Chonne. I need you to pick up."

"Hello Richard," a voice blurted through the phone, along with much laughter and was that Michael Jackson playing in the background? Where the hell were they?

"I need to speak with Michonne," Rick spoke into the phone, his voice normal and even. "Who is this?"

"It's Tara bitch," she yelled into the phone, her shrieking voice produced a throbbing in Rick's ear. What in the hell was going on? Tara was wasted. Why did she answer Michonne's phone?

"Listen," Rick slightly hollered into the phone. "Tara, it's important that I speak to Michonne. I need to speak with Michonne NOW!"

"Michonne is busy shakin' dat ass," Tara laughed into the phone before pulling it away, as Rick heard her yelp something to the effect of _'drop it like it's hot'_. They were having a good time, wild and free and he was stuck in a seedy ass strip club bathroom.

"Tara," Rick began again, suddenly more sober and determined than before. "Look, is Sasha around? Or Andrea? Maggie? I need to talk to one of them."

"Sorry Rick," Tara sung into the phone. "My jam is on. _Do you rememba… -ah, when we fell in love we wer-"_

"Tara," Rick called into the phone but it was dead silent. _Shit._ He was screwed. There was no way he was getting out of there now. Before he even realized, Rick started kicking down the closest bathroom partition to him. "Dammit! Fuuuuuccck!"

"Rick," a familiar voice met his ears. Pivoting towards the person, he found himself face to face with Morgan.

"What," Rick asked turning away only for his eyes to land on the bathroom partition he kicked a nice dent into. He had to get out of there now.

"I called an Uber," Morgan admitted. "I know you don't want to be here and neither do I. Where you wanna go?"

"Home," Rick answered candidly. "But Michonne and the girls are there. I probably shouldn't go."

"You can at least check in and then leave," Morgan suggested, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That works for me," Rick decided. Moving closer to Morgan, his hand found his friend's shoulder and he patted him in appreciation.

"My pleasure," Morgan grinned as they emerged from the bathroom. "Now you can't hate me."

 ** _Michonne_**

"Have you ever gone skinny dippin'," Beth asked Michonne as they lounged around the living room, playing truth or dare.

"I grew up with country ass Andrea. Of course I've gone skinny dippin'," Michonne answered with a cackle, just as her cell phone dinged. She stood up from where she sat and made her way towards the sound.

"And she hated every minute of it," Andrea spilled. "Almost cried afterwards. Jason Lewis wasn't crying though. He pined after your ass the rest of our senior year of high school. He wanted him some Michonne."

"Stop putting my business out in the streets." Michonne flipped her head around at Andrea. "But I did not know that. Jason was hot… back then. Have you seen him lately?"

"Why would I have seen him lately Mich," Andrea asked, nursing her drink, unusual for her.

"I ran into him and his mother at the grocery store. He's about fifty pounds heavier and bald girl," she described as she picked up her phone, glancing at the screen. Three missed calls and five missed _Answer your phone!, Where are you?_ and _MICHONNNNNEEEE!_ texts. From Rick. She gasped. He never did this. Something must be wrong. She clutched the phone to her chest and made her way to the bathroom before tossing a few words to the girls. "I'll be back."

She immediately called Rick back and stood still in the middle of the bathroom. "Pick up, baby. Pick up," she muttered aloud to herself trying to keep herself composed and cool. He was alright. He had to be. It was the night before their wedding. If Shane and Daryl got her baby into some situation, she would murder them with her bare hands. _Choke them out_ she thought as Rick's voice floated from her phone.

"Hey," he spoke low.

"Hey," she returned, her voice soft and loving. "You alright? Three missed calls and five missed texts. I'm worried."

"I might be a little drunk," Rick chuckled into the phone. "I'm being dramatic."

"Where are you," she asked, her voice still light and affectionate.

"In the backyard," Rick confessed. "Those bastards took me to a strip club after I told the sons of bitches I didn't wanna do that."

"I'm sorry baby," Michonne cooed, slipping quietly from the bathroom and treading towards the back yard. She shot her eyes at the girls who were caught up in their game to even notice her. Hanging up the phone, she quietly pried the backdoor open to find Rick lounging in one of the Adirondack chairs under the covered deck. She ambled over towards him and took a seat in his lap, his arms immediately surrounding her and her head naturally rested on his shoulder. She unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt and splayed her hand across his smooth chest. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Rick replied, his hands smoothing down the sides of Michonne's pajama clad thighs.

"You want to get out of here," Michonne asked, the back of her hands caressing his smooth chin. He must have gotten a razor shave today, the gesture bringing on a smile. She liked his beard but loved his smooth face. He didn't keep it clean shaven often, so this was a real treat.

"The girls won't be mad," he asked, his eyes darting up from her body to her face. "You… won't be mad about leaving them."

"Not at all," she answered, rubbing her thumb across his bottom lip. She loved his lips. The taste of them, the way they felt all over her body. She was sure they'd touched every part of her flesh. Leaning in, she kissed his lips, soft and light, her fingers lingering in the hairs at the nape of his head.

"I know just where we can go," Rick noted, standing up while cradling Michonne in his arms.

"I'll text Andrea, Sloane and Sasha to let them know I'm with you," she said as he placed her back on her feet. "I'd rather be with you right now anyway."

 ** _Rick_**

Sleep drenched eyes lazily lifted open. He scanned the muted red numbers of the nightstand clock. It was 3:37 in the morning. In less than twelve hours he'd be graced with Michonne gliding down the aisle to become his wife. It was absolutely his dreams coming true. But right now, he'd bask in the enchanting night they just spent together.

Within minutes of Michonne appearing on the deck, they ditched the girls, hopped in Rick's pick up and zoomed down the highway towards the city. Rick had called ahead and requested a room at a posh little bed and breakfast he and Michonne visited a few months back, even before Michonne found him in the back yard. He literally didn't want to spend another day without her. She gave him new meaning in life and he just couldn't imagine a life without her being present every day until the end of time. His love for her was oceans deep.

As soon as they arrived she drew them a bath to relax them both. Always thoughtful, never selfish. She often put his and the children's needs before her own and that's what made him love her all the more. That's what drove him to shower her with as much unconditional love, support and protection as was humanly possible for one man.

Before long, plush and swollen lips sprinkled kisses along his ears, his neck and shoulders alongside wandering hands massaging and rubbing his back and instantly he felt the tension flee only to be replaced with a warm swelling passion from deep within his chest. He had to have her right now, the thoughts all consuming.

And he did. Loving Michonne was one of the most freeing acts he had ever experienced. The feel of her satin soft skin against his, the way his name drifted from her parted lips as his body bonded with hers, hips rocking in melodic harmony with his trusts. This was his peace and Michonne was his home. Being with her afforded him a comfort and serenity he'd never experienced before. With her he truly felt like a whole person. Without her, he'd be lost.

He turned his awareness to his love, sound asleep in the early morning hours. Her chest heaving up and down lightly, her limbs tangled and in splendid contrast to white cotton sheets. Rick turned over on his side and stared at her as she slumbered. He was blessed. He knew this without a wavering thought and later on today he'd lay it all out for her. With actions and words, he'd profess his undying love for Michonne. Slipping out of the bed, Rick dressed, made his way to the lobby and requested a wake-up call at 7:00 AM for Michonne. In the meantime, he'd get himself ready for the next chapter of his life with the love of his life.

 ** _Michonne_**

Shooting up from where she lied, the ringing phone jolted Michonne from her sleep. Who could be calling at this ungodly hour? Her eyes squinted to make out the time. Seven. A heavy sigh escaped as she scanned her surroundings, the phone still ringing off the hook. She hesitantly picked it up.

"Hello," she answered, her voice low and heavy with sleep.

"Yes, thank you," she offered before returning the phone into the cradle.

It appeared she was alone, as there was not a trace of Rick. But where did he go? She surveyed the room once more and happened across a white envelop sitting atop Rick's pillow, her name in his horrible handwriting sprawled across the center.

Washing her hands over her face to relieve more of the sleep, she picked up the envelop, opened it and pulled out a letter. Her heart sprang into hyper speed a moment, anxious, she supposed before she began to read.

 _Baby,_

 _I know we weren't supposed to see each other the night before the wedding but I simply couldn't help myself. I slipped out around four this morning, letting you rest. I say all this to let you know that I can't wait to see you this afternoon and I don't want to see you until you're walking down that aisle in that beautiful dress I haven't seen yet. J You have brought so much joy and vitality into my life and the kid's lives and I can't wait to start the next chapter with you. Breakfast is on the way, as is a driver to get you around nine and take you to Hershel's. I'll see you later my beautiful Queen!_

 _-Rick_

Her eyes fluttered closed, lids heavy with emotions as she clutched the letter to her chest. She loved that man almost more than life itself. And he loved her just hard. She could not wait to take his last name and spend the rest of her life under his umbrella of love and protection. With Rick she felt safe. With Rick she felt treasured and honored. She knew without a shadow of doubt that Rick would love her until the end of time.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I think I had the most fun writing this day. Slightly drunk Rick and all the way drunk Tara were hella fun to pen! LOLOL! But I really loved the sweet moments Richonne shared at the end. They just can't stay away from each other or keep their hands to themselves! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Would love to hear from you! Thanks again for staying on this writing journey with me! :)


	7. Going To The Chapel

**_Shane_**

In his way and as a form of an apology for Rick's less than spectacular last night of singlehood, Shane took care of some of the groomsmen's prep and chauffeured Rick around all morning, making sure he was as tranquil and at peace as he could be prior to the wedding. He'd messed up, he could admit that, though never aloud and especially not in front of the rest of the crew. A formal apology would be given to Rick at a later time when they were all alone.

Daryl and Morgan met Rick and him in front of the classy salon for gents. The place was a real swank joint with thick tufted leather barber chairs, heavy, ornate mahogany wood and smelled of cigars and old money. Shane loved that place. It was his home away from home and he had a standing appointment every two weeks for a haircut, shave and massage. Having a membership there, Shane arranged, or rather purchased at a decent discount, time for them to all get a nice haircut and shave before Rick's big day. It cost him a pretty penny but he really needed to make up for his loss last night. Rick was pretty pissed when he called him this morning, asking him why he cut out so early. He really shouldn't have tried to force the issue but shit, he wanted to have a good time. And he did.

"How you gonna ditch your own bachelor party," Shane spat as he plopped down in his barber's chair for his haircut and shave. "A little off the top this time, Mack."

"How you gonna take me to that grimey strip club when I forthrightly told you all _no_ ," Rick returned through gritted teeth, his upper lip snarling a bit. Shane knew he had been unbelievably selfish and he was trying to make up for it now. Maybe he shouldn't have even brought up last night.

" _Forthrightly?_ Pretty soon, you're gonna turn into Michonne," Daryl added, coming back with drinks and breakfast treats. He passed a cup to Rick, Morgan, and then Shane before taking a seat across from them. Rick laughed and took the seat next to Shane.

"Besides, _we_ did all of that in my twenties when I first got married. I don't need strippers when I got a real woman I get to go home to and do stuff and thangs with as I please," Rick continued to counter.

"Where'd you end up," Morgan asked, blowing his coffee to cool it down.

"With said woman," Rick grinned. "I stole her from her bachelorette party and we went to a bed and breakfast Shane and Andrea told Michonne about. She'd been talking about it for a while. We'll be spending another night there before we leave for the honeymoon."

"So you got some action last night," Shane mused. "I ain't mad at that."

"I can get action every night. Unlike you," Rick added. "Michonne doesn't hold out on me."

"Andrea's a complicated creature, Rick," Shane explained, sitting up straight and still as Mack draped the cape over his head. "Even moreso lately. She's never in the mood."

"No," Rick contended. "Andrea is a woman fed up with your bullshit. Why won't you just go ahead and marry her? Are you scared?"

"And what would I be scared of exactly," Shane asked with a scoff, side eyeing Rick.

"Well, commitment for one," Rick offered with a scoff of his own. "To solely belong to her and her to you."

"Man, Michonne's got you whipped."

"And you're a chicken shit," Rick reprimanded, tilting his head to the side, daring Shane to come at him with more of his crap. He hated when Rick got the upper hand in arguments, which was most of the damn time. "Andy's been through the trenches with you for, what, ten years now. That's loyalty on another level. And it's not like you're sleepin' with other folks. What gives?"

"Can we talk about you and this wedding now," Shane attempted to change the subject, Rick's words stirring something in him, obviously. "Where is Glenn's never late ass?"

"Got our boy all up in arms this morning, Ricky," Daryl sat back, laughing as he tossed a whole donut into his mouth. He took out his phone and started scanning its contents. "Glenn overslept and is helping Beth with a Baby Hershel diaper emergency."

"You can shut the fuck up screen name LonelyWithABoxOf Donuts55," Shane barked at Daryl, obviously pissed. "You gettin' a little thick in the middle. Might want to hold off on those donuts."

"Haha," Daryl cackled greedily biting into another donut. "So where's Michonne?"

"She should be at Hershel's house," Rick offered, taking a slow sip of his black coffee. "Sasha's doin' her hair and make-up."

"Oh," Daryl stated, his voice changed and he stirred a bit uncomfortably in his seat. "So, so, how is Sasha these days?"

Shane's eyes averted to Daryl then looked at Rick twirling the ring on his finger, a nervous tick his best friend had for forever. Shane keenly paid attention to the two and then it dawned on him who they were talking about at golf some weeks ago.

"That hot little firefighter," Shane spoke aloud, his voice booming. "Tyreese Williams' sister? That's who Dixon was fu-?"

"Shane," Rick tried to halt his friend but rendered the attempt useless, as he should. Shane was about to go for it. Plus this got everyone off his back about his situation with Andrea.

"Sorry Mack," he apologized as he hopped from his seat and stood in the middle of the barber shop, pacing back and forth. "We gonna get this cut done, I promise. And your tip will be worth the time wasted." He turned towards Rick, then towards Daryl, his hands now resting on his hips.

"You mean to tell me, screen name Single&ReadyToMingle49 actually had enough game to get with Sasha Williams and somehow also managed to let her slip away to marry Spencer Monroe," Shane exaggerated pointing at Daryl while directing all of his speech towards Rick. "Well I'll be damned."

He turned his attention to Daryl and stooped in front of him, shaking his head in disbelief. "I just got one question for you, Dixon."

"What's that," Daryl asked roughly.

"What did she taste like," Shane whispered. "That shit was good, right?"

"Man," Daryl hollered, "Get outta my face. I respect her… so we _ain't_ talkin' about this."

"Shane, back off," Rick boomed. "You found out, now let's move on. Besides no one in this room wants to continue witnessing the little lover's spat between you and Daryl."

"Preach," Morgan stated, looking sideways at Shane before taking another sip of his coffee and going back to reading his newspaper.

"We'll give you a break today," Daryl offered to Rick.

"But you better believe after the vows, its back on," Shane concluded.

"You just have a seat and finish gettin' that much needed cut," Rick commanded. "We have a no ungroomed or ugly people policy for the wedding."

"I'm the best looking man in this room right now," Shane argued, a shocked scowl formed across his face. How dare Rick try to call _him_ ugly? "No offence Mack."

 ** _Andrea_**

Maggie entered the front parlour of the farmhouse, toting a tray of empty skinny flutes and placed it on the antique night stand before rushing back to the kitchen for the pitcher of mojitos. Andrea eyed the set up before turning her attention to her best friend. She smiled as Michonne closed her eyes and received the pampering of Sasha's skillful hands sweeping blush across her dark bronze cheeks. She'd never seen Michonne this happy, the thought of all of this just completely overwhelming her. Or was it really something else?

Before she could try to force the lump in her throat down, tears began spilling from her eyes. Immediately she began wiping them away before anyone took notice but Maggie came through just as she removed her hands from her face.

"Andy," Maggie asked concerned. "What's wrong? You want a mimosa? Maybe it'll make you feel better."

"No," Andrea sighed and looked over at Michonne who's eyes were wide and doe-like, examining her friend's face. "I shouldn't."

"You did drink quite a bit last night," Sasha offered. "But you were asleep before the movie finished. That was odd for you."

"I was drinking water the rest of the night," Andrea confessed. "And I've been nauseated and sick every morning for the past month."

Gasps filled the air at her admission. She wanted to save the news for later, after the wedding. It was Michonne's big day and she didn't want any parts of outshining or taking anything away from her best friend but she was just so overcome by it all. Keeping this all inside was killing her and she desperately needed to release it.

"Oh my gosh," Michonne blurted leaping from her seat and kneeling down at her best friend's feet. She took a hold of Andrea's icy cold hands, warming them with her own. "Andy, you're pregnant? It all makes sense now… the grape juice. You getting up to go to the bathroom every ten minutes at the dress shop. I thought Sloane and I were doing too much. And that's why you asked Tara if the punch had been spiked yet."

Andrea could only nod in response as the tears overflowed. "I'm sorry Mich. I tried to keep it to myself until after the wedding but this has been pretty heavy for me to take on. I haven't told anyone. Not even my parents or Shane. It's so daunting and… I'm just scared. And I really want one of those mojitos."

"Oh, sweetie," Michonne giggled and hugged her friend tight. "I'm so excited and happy for you. You have no idea. You're going to be a terrific mom and you have a whole village of people to help you along the way with this baby."

Michonne released her and allowed Maggie and Sasha to embrace her and offer her words of encouragement. She'd needed this. Wiping her tears away, she sighed and fanned herself. It felt amazing just getting this off of her chest and telling someone what she'd been going through.

"How have you been hiding the morning sickness from Shane," Maggie asked incredulously. "Glenn could hear me retching from a mile away."

"It really just started," Andrea stated. "For the first month, Shane thought he had some kind of weird virus. He was getting sick a couple of mornings a week. And then I didn't start my period and I just wasn't feeling like myself so I went to the doctor and... here we are."

"How far along are you," Sasha inquired, her eyes soft and empathetic. "I can't wait to have kids."

"Three months," Andrea answered, a slight smirk on her face. "I'm still in shock about it all. I'm going to be someone's mother."

"You're gonna be a great mom," Maggie offered with a warm smile.

"Mama's here with your dress," Sloane burst through, entering the somber and quiet moment. She scanned everyone's face and honed in on Andrea's. "What's going on?"

"I'm pregnant Sloanie," Andrea admitted before her eyes began raining tears again.

"Oh my goodness," Sloane exclaimed, rushing over to Andrea for a hug. She held her tight and shook her from side to side before releasing. "You know, the name Sloane is making a comeback. Just think about it."

"Slo-Jo, please go tell mama I'll be there in about ten more minutes and stop soliciting your name as a potential baby name to Andy," Michonne replied, making her way back to her seat for Sasha to complete her makeup. She reached out her hand for Andrea to take in her own. "You've got this."

 ** _Michonne_**

The time had finally arrived and she could barely believe it. This morning was smooth sailing. She was calm and serene but the second she donned that gown, the peace all came crashing down, replaced with fluttering butterfly wings in the pit of her stomach. Everything from that moment felt like a dream. She eyed herself in the mirror once more as her mother stood by her side and placed the beaded headband over her daughter's head. The dress fit like a glove, shimmering white as the ornate beads, jewels and lace cascaded down the soft silk, overlaid with chiffon. Sloane smoothed out the mermaid tail train and stood on the other side of Michonne, tears forming in her eyes at the sight.

"Sloane," Michonne slurred out, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "Don't you do it. Don't you dare cry right now. I need you to be strong and unaffected right now or I'll cry and ruin my perfect makeup."

"It's just," Sloane swallowed hard. "You are so beautiful sissy. I mean, there's a literal glow surrounding you right now."

"She's right." her mother offered, a single tear streaking down her face. "You are stunning Michonne and Rick is one lucky man."

"Is this real mama," Michonne queried. "I mean, I didn't feel like this when I married Mike. I'm nervous and thrilled and I feel more alive than I ever have and this just doesn't feel real."

"That's because it's _true love_ baby girl," Violet answered. "I had the exact same feeling on my wedding day. I can remember it like it was yesterday. You two are simply meant to be."

Michonne inhaled and exhaled deeply, staring at her reflection in the full length mirror. She was going to be Mrs. Richard Dean Grimes in less than ten minutes and the joy of it all flooded her heart and overflowed into every part of her being. She was ready and she knew he was ready too.

"Michonne," Beth poked her head through the door, a big bright smile covering her face. "We're ready."

 ** _Rick_**

Rick tilted his head from side to side and did a little jump in place. He couldn't seem to shake the nerves off. Maybe seeing Michonne would do the trick. He was antsy and anxious and if they had to wait any longer he was sure he'd start to sweat profusely. It wasn't hot out per se but he was feeling the heat. Perhaps it was the exhilaration coursing through his nervous system. He simply couldn't wait to see his bride walking down that aisle.

Gazing at the sea of people seated in the arranged tulle and satin decorated white, wooden folding chairs just outside the barn, he made eye contact with his mother, Barbara, who mouthed _I love you baby_ and his father, Howard, gave him a hefty smile with a nod. Rick's stomach began to flutter and knot up. This was for real. He was going to marry the love of his life today. Five minutes and counting. He hadn't felt this alive and free in so long and in a few minutes his future would be waltzing towards him, committing her very self to him and their family. He couldn't wait.

Music began to play and not long afterwards, Shane and Andrea descended down the aisle next, arm in arm, followed by Daryl and Sloane, Glenn and Maggie, Morgan and Carol and lastly Spencer and Sasha. Andre followed behind, donning a tux almost an identical replica of Rick's, toting a plush gold velvet pillow housing faux wedding rings. Judith made her way down towards her daddy, tossing white rose petals along the way. Her little cherub face beaming with delight at the people staring at her. Sometimes she could be such a ham. It was all so real. His dreams were literally coming true and unfolding in front of his eyes.

"You alright man," Shane asked, patting Rick on the shoulder. "It's all good. Just breathe. You've done this before."

"This isn't a Lamaze class Shane," Rick whispered before smiling. "But keep it up. I need the coaching and pep talk. It's working."

Suddenly the music stopped, the crowd grew quiet and Beth began the wedding processional song on the piano. Rick's breath hitched as Michonne and her brother rounded the corner, his heart ached at the sight of her in that form fitting wedding gown. Unable to speak or move, the only reaction Rick's body seemed to give into was weeping. His eyes grew slightly red as he attempted to blink back the tears. It was best that he cave and completely give in and he did, the tears poured out like a spring rain at the sight of his wife approaching him, drawing closer to him and their future with every step. His heart longed for her and if she didn't believe that before, he was sure him and his tears solidified that fact now.

 ** _Rick & Michonne_**

He was crying and Michonne's heart nearly plummeted into the pit of her stomach at his reaction to seeing her. She bit her tongue and the inside of her cheek to keep her own tears from forming and leaving happy trails down her face. She smiled at Rick and mouthed _I love you_ as her brother advanced her forward. In an instant she was in front of her love, holding his hands and staring into the depths of his eyes, continuously biting the inside of her cheek. This was it. The beginning of their happily ever after.

Hershel motioned for everyone to be seated as Rick and Michonne stood facing one another, Rick wiped the remaining tears from his eyes and face quickly before Hershel proceeded.

"Dearly beloved," he began but Rick had zoned out, lost in Michonne's beauty. He couldn't believe the day had arrived that Michonne was going to be his wife. It didn't feel real but it was. It was very real. She squeezed his hands tight and continued to smile at him as his eyes roamed over her flawless face and swept down her body, his gaze travelling over ever curve until he made it back to his face. How on earth did he get to be this lucky to have her taking his name and journeying this life by his side? How?

"You two have prepared some vows," Hershel eased into the next order of business. "Richard, if you will."

Rick inhaled deeply, mulling over what he'd prepared before letting it all out.

"Michonne," he began. "I was floundering… before you. Barely making it… before you. Just existing… before you. When I first saw you I knew there was something extraordinary and wonderful about you and I also knew, even then, that I had to have you in my life. Needless to say, I was over the moon thrilled when you gave me your phone number at Andrea's birthday party."

The crowd giggled and awed at his admission. He took another deep breath before continuing.

"You've made my dreams come true a thousand times over and I'd rather have had one opportunity being in your presence than a thousand opportunities with someone I couldn't possibly love as much as I love you. You welcomed me and my brokenness and my children with outstretched loving arms, for which I am forever indebted and grateful to you for. I commit my entire self to you and our union yesterday, today and forever. Baby, I promise that I will love you, cherish you and take care of you for as long as I have life in my body. I love you with all my heart and all that I am."

Michonne remained frozen in place as she consumed Rick's vows, so beautiful, so heartfelt, so honest, so him. Never removing her eyes from Rick's face, she heard Hershel speak.

"Michonne, if you will."

A heavy exhale escaped prior to her words forming. This was it; Her opportunity to declare to Rick and in front of all their loved ones just how much he meant to her. "Rick, I was certain, that my heart would not heal after my loss. My days were dark and the only light I saw was from my son. He kept my head above water during that time because I was all he had and he was all I had. But then you came… like a thunderous, crashing lightning bolt," she giggled.

"Like a fiery shooting star, bringing me back to life and granting me a dream coming true like no other. You always say that I brought you back to life but babe, you've done the same for me and more. I was so depleted inside but with you, I found joy and an inner strength I didn't know I had. You loved me through it all, despite myself and the bit of trepidation I had when we first started dating. And your persistence to love me rivals that of classic, historic lovers. I believe with my entire heart and being that I was born to love you. To walk this earth, by your side for the rest of my life, is a true gift from God and I'm just overjoyed that although we've both endured much pain and loss, our second chance is with each other and baby, we'll make it better than our beginnings in this life. I love you…," her voice broke slightly. "So much more than my words will ever be able to convey, so I'll spend the rest of my life showing you just how much you mean to me."

Few mutterings and quiet weeping emerged from the sea of people as Rick and Michonne wrapped their vows. They gripped each other's hands like they were never going to let each other go… and they weren't. This was for the long haul and they'd enjoy it every step of the way.

"Can we have the rings please," Hershel asked and Andrea and Shane obliged promptly. "Rick, Michonne, these rings are not simply ornaments to adorn your fingers or even a fashion statement but a symbol of your commitment to one another. Rings appear perfect, having no beginning or end, much like our Heavenly Father. Let these rings be a reminder of His love for you. The good book states in 1John 4:19, _We love because He first loved us_. Remember these words when you get upset or find yourself unpleased with one another. Also, let these rings remind you of your faithfulness to one another when you are apart."

Rick and Michonne took in Hershel's wise words, soaking it all up and storing them in their hearts.

"Rick," Hershel began again. "You may place your ring on your bride's finger and repeat after me… With this ring, I thee wed."

Rick did as he was told.

"Michonne," Hershel called aloud. "You may now place your ring on your groom's finger and repeat after me… With this ring, I thee wed."

Michonne eagerly and happily obliged.

"Richard Dean Grimes and Michonne Elise Chambers have committed themselves to each other before man and before God on this day of the Lord, Saturday, June 25, 2016. By the authority vested in me as a minister, even if I am retired… our work is never done, of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the laws of the state of Georgia, I now declare you husband and wife. Rick, kiss your bride."

"You ready baby," he stated and before she could utter a word, his eyes keenly zeroed in on her, he cupped her face with his hands and fused his lips to hers in the most explosive and impassioned kiss Michonne had ever been graced with by Rick. He came up for air, his blue eyes bright and shining before sprinkling more tiny kisses upon her lips.

For an instant he pulled away, as Shane passed him a small broom wrapped in white and gold tulle, ribbon and adorned with silk gardenias. He placed the broom on the ground before standing back up and grabbing Michonne's hand.

"To forever," Michonne uttered as they jumped the broom, another symbol of their commitment to this marriage. Rick picked Michonne up and twirled her around. It was just like the first night they met. People surrounded them but in that very moment, all they noticed were each other. This was truly the beginning of their happily ever after.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This was the end of my submissions to the tumblr Richonnefics June Bride writing challenge. I feel like I have more story to tell but I ran out of time during the challenge. There are some things I feel I need to wrap up and some unanswered questions that need to be addressed, so I'm thinking of expanding this by adding three additional chapters: one recording events that happened at the reception, the honeymoon (which was a bonus day for the challenge) and a sixth month or one year update... not quite sure where I want to land with that one but let me know if you all are interested in reading more. It very well may be the motivation I need to wrap this fic up nicely with a cute little Richonne bow... or baby. Whichever you prefer! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing and adding this story to your faves and following this story. I really had a lot of fun penning this and I really appreciate all of you. Will be responding to individual reviews soon! *hugs*


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